‘Expectation doesn’t change.’ Can the hobbled Dolphins defense limit the Bills?
Ethan Bonner never thought he’d be here.
After the former Stanford standout joined the Miami Dolphins in 2023, he contributed seldomly over the past three seasons. Only in 2025 did the cornerback start to receive some defensive snaps – most of his prior appearances had been on special teams – yet coaches and players have raved about his ability. On Sunday, however, Bonner will have the opportunity that he has waited three years for: start an NFL game.
“I’m definitely excited,” Bonner said in front of his locker Friday afternoon. ”It’s something I worked for my whole life, so I think this will be a very cool moment for me.”
Bonner will be one of the many pieces that the Dolphins intend to rely on ahead of Sunday’s matchup against the Buffalo Bills. Between injuries in the secondary as well as the edge rushers unit in addition to the trade that sent Jaelen Phillips to the Philadelphia Eagles, the Dolphins will be a shell of themselves. That, however, shouldn’t prevent the Dolphins from the main objective: beat the Bills.
“I’ve seen both of those groups understand the lessons of our season,” coach Mike McDaniel said of the edge rusher and cornerback group. “The lesson of our season is that it’s not one person’s job to handle a great player. It’s not one person’s job to win or lose the game. Players don’t have to be above and beyond who they are individually. The key each and every week without fail is a team playing team football and guys making the plays that they have the ability and are in position to make.”
Bonner’s depth chart elevation came after standout cornerback Rasul Douglas hurt his foot and ankle against the Baltimore Ravens. Although Sunday will likely be his first start, he and fellow cornerback Jack Jones began to rotate on the outside against the Los Angeles Chargers.
“He has shown consistency,” defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver said of Bonner. “He’s a guy that knows exactly what to do. He’s extremely cerebral.”
In addition to Bonner, the Dolphins plan to use Jason Marshall Jr., according to defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver, an intriguing move considering that the rookie came into the league as an outside cornerback, yet injuries forced him to switch to nickel. Weaver called the transition back to the outside “difficult,” adding that he doesn’t plan to oversaturate Marshall to the point of confusion.
“It would probably just be in our base defense so he doesn’t have to learn multiple jobs,” Weaver said of Marshall’s potential playing time on the outside. “If we’re playing against 11 personnel, probably let’s keep him where he’s at. Let’s not try to add to his plate, but when we are in base defense, he was already learning that job anyway so that’s where he’ll compete.”
The Bonner-Marshall tandem is far from the only change to the lineup. Without Phillips, Chop Robinson was supposed to step up opposite of Bradley Chubb – that is, until the second-year edge rusher suffered a concussion against the Ravens. The additional reps will now go to 10-year veteran Matthew Judon, a man who has very little to prove considering his four Pro Bowl appearances, as well as some combination of special teams ace Cameron Goode and Quinton Bell, an NFL journeyman who has found a home on the Dolphins’ practice squad as of late.
“Whether it’s player trades, player injury, the expectation doesn’t change for what we’re trying to get done,” Weaver said. “I expect Cam Goode, ‘Q. Bell’, Matt Judon, Bradley Chubb, obviously all those guys to go out there and play their absolute best. Just knowing the character of that room and those guys, I know that’s exactly what we’re going to get.”
While the expectation might not change, the Dolphins’ depleted defense will certainly have to play arguably their best ball of the season if they intend to stop Josh Allen. The reigning MVP loves to play Miami – the man has thrown more touchdown passes against the Dolphins than the New York Jets and New England Patriots combined – so he will certainly be ready. Will Miami?
This story was originally published November 8, 2025 at 1:13 PM.
