Who will be this year’s unheralded player to earn a job on Dolphins? Some names to watch
Seemingly every year, an unheralded player comes out of something-close-to-nowhere to earn a spot on the Dolphins’ initial 53 man roster. That group of July/August revelations in recent years included cornerback Kader Kohou and tight end Tanner Conner in 2022 and tight end Julian Hill in 2023.
So which of the undrafted rookies or veteran journeymen bear close monitoring in training camp? Some names to keep in mind, while acknowledging that none of them enters camp as a favorite for a roster spot:
▪ Linebackers Quinton Bell and Grayson Murphy:
Both made impressive plays at Wednesday’s opening practice. And both play a position (outside linebacker) where Miami has been depleted by injuries and in Shaq Barrett’s case, retirement.
To this point, Bell is best known among Dolphins fans as the player who repeatedly pushed Tua Tagovailoa — at Tagovailoa’s request — after he threw passes while preparing in November to face Raiders Pro Bowl pass rusher Maxx Crosby. That was chronicled on HBO’s “Hard Knocks” last season.
But Bell flashed in the team’s offseason program and was active Wednesday, with his day including a pass deflection at the line of scrimmage.
Bell, who joined the Dolphins’ practice squad last October, has been a member of five NFL organizations and played in just nine games since the Raiders drafted him in the seventh round out of Prairie View in 2019.
He played only special teams in five games for Tampa Bay in 2020 and logged 61 defensive snaps in four games for Atlanta in 2022, producing three tackles (including one for loss).
Murphy began his career at North Texas, then produced exactly nine tackles for loss and five sacks each of the past two seasons at UCLA. His 172 career quarterback pressures through four college seasons were the most of any defensive player eligible for last April’s draft. He had six pressures in UCLA’s loss to national runner-up Washington last season.
“Murphy has a decent chance of becoming a rotational 3-4 rush linebacker,” NFL.com draft analyst Lance Zierlein said.
He had a strong start Wednesday, sacking UTEP rookie quarterback Gavin Hardison in 11-on-11 work.
Jaelan Phillips (who sustained a torn Achilles on Nov. 24) has told ESPN that he will be ready for the season. But if Phillips and fellow starter Bradley Chubb are sidelined in September (which wouldn’t surprise anybody in Chubb’s case in the wake of a Dec 31 ACL tear), then Bell or Murphy could sneak onto the roster as a fourth edge player, supplementing rookie draft picks Chop Robinson and Mo Kamara and veteran addition Emmanuel Ogbah.
Inside linebacker Cam Brown, primarily a special teams player for the Giants, also can play outside linebacker.
Meanwhile, outside linebacker Cam Goode is expected to be sidelined to start the season because of a Week 17 torn patella tendon.
For Bell and Murphy, their greatest competition is players who are unsigned or are cut by other teams.
Also keep an eye on Zeke Vandenburgh, who’s playing inside linebacker primarily. He won the Buck Buchanan Award as the best player in the Football Championship Subdivision while at Illinois State in 2022, but was lost for the season after sustaining a knee injury leading up to what would have been his first Dolphins training camp last summer. He had 14 sacks for Illinois State in that 2022 season and was named First Team All FCS.
And he quickly made a case for himself on the first day of training camp, intercepting a Tua Tagovailoa pass that was bobbled by Conner. He played outside linebacker during his 14-sack season at Illinois State but is undersized for the position at 232 pounds. He’s now reportedly an inside linebacker for the Dolphins, who already have four quality veteran players at that position.
▪ Undrafted rookie cornerbacks Storm Duck, Isaiah Johnson and Jason Maitre:
(Ethan Bonner – who has a decent chance to make the team — isn’t on this list because he’s a second-year player who logged snaps in Miami’s wild card loss to Kansas City.)
Nik Needham and Kohou seized jobs as undrafted rookies, and the Dolphins have shown a knack for developing overlooked defensive backs.
Working in the favor of the three rookies: There’s no clear pecking order behind starters Jalen Ramsey and Kendall Fuller, though Kohou and Cam Smith will be given every chance to be the next two in line.
Working against the three rookies: If those four, safety/cornerback Nik Needham and special teams core player Siran Neal make the 53-man roster, that’s six corners.
It’s highly questionable if Miami would keep seven. Even if they do, the three rookies would be competing with intriguing second-year player Bonner and every other free agent (or released) cornerback for a job on the 53.
The Dolphins thought so much of Duck that they gave him $150,000 guaranteed. And multiple staff members called him before the draft.
At Louisville last season, the 6-0 Duck allowed a 97.5 passer rating in his coverage area: 26 catches in 41 targets for 339 yards (13.0 per catch), one TD and no interceptions.
At Syracuse last season, Johnson permitted a bloated 108.7 passer rating in his coverage area: 34 catches in 51 targets for 405 yards (11.9 per catch), with four touchdowns relinquished and the one pick.
Maitre played five years at Boston College before transferring to Wisconsin for his final college season last year. He started nine games for the Badgers, and had an interception and three passes defended and a solid 85.6 passer rating in his coverage area, with 36 completions in 51 targets for 402 yards (11.2 per catch), per Pro Football Focus.
The Dolphins view the 5-10 Maitre as a nickel cornerback who also can play safety; he started seven games at safety in 2021 but has been a cornerback the past two years. He had four interceptions in 43 college games, including 28 starts.
As for Bonner, here’s our offseason story about the second-year Stanford corner.
▪ Ohio State rookie guard Matthew Jones:
He’s seemingly competing with Lester Cotton, Chasen Hines and tackle Kion Smith (plus anyone on waivers) for a 10th offensive line spot if the Dolphins keep 10.
Though a spot on the practice squad seems more likely, Jones will have every opportunity to make his case for the 53 man roster, particularly with projected starting left guard Isaiah Wynn beginning training camp on the active/physically unable to perform list.
Jones started 24 of the Buckeyes’ 26 games the past two seasons and was second-team All-Big 10 in 2023. Last season, as a right guard, he allowed no sacks and just five pressures in 412 pass-blocking snaps. His run-blocking grade from PFF wasn’t exceptional, but it was second best among Ohio State’s offensive linemen. He also can play center.
And what about the group of undrafted defensive tackles - including second-year player Brandon Pili and rookies Mario Kendricks (Virginia Tech) and Colorado’s Leonard Payne?
They face an uphill climb, because Teair Tart and Benito Jones are heavy favorites for the nose tackle jobs, with veteran Da’Shawn Hand also having a case to return for a second season with Miami.
Defensive tackles Calais Campbell and Zach Sieler definitely will be on the team and Neville Gallimore — a Cowboys starter or rotation player the past four seasons - also has a good chance to stick.
This story was originally published July 24, 2024 at 12:41 PM.
