Kelly: Dolphins would benefit from players who replicate Patrick Paul’s transformation | Opinion
There was a point in Patrick Paul’s ascension last season where his smirk, his hearty chuckles irritated, if not frustrated his opponents to the point of anger.
Paul’s confidence was growing, and the left tackle seemingly responded to his challengers by laughing at their efforts in a mocking manner.
While he wasn’t dominant last season, the growth, development and progression this Miami Dolphins second-year offensive lineman made in 2025 was no laughing matter.
In one offseason the 2024 second-round pick transformed himself from a question mark, being asked to replace Pro Bowl left tackle Terron Armstead, into one of the franchise’s brightest stars.
It’s the kind of career glow-up every NFL player aspires to have, and if the Dolphins are lucky in the early stages of this franchise rebuild, about half a dozen veteran players will make the same kind of one-season progress as Paul.
Newly signed Malik Willis will either take the Dolphins to new heights or make us question the talent evaluation skills of the franchise’s new leadership.
This will be Willis’ first legitimate opportunity to prove he’s an NFL starter, and if he can deliver a Jalen Hurts, C.J. Stroud-like performance this season, the Dolphins might be working with something.
Problem is, his arsenal of weapons is not impressive.
Outside of De’Von Achane, the Dolphins don’t have a single offensive player whose resume makes them a clear-cut starter for half a dozen other NFL teams.
But players such as Greg Dulcich and Malik Washington have each flashed talent that makes us conclude they are young players who possess promise.
I have told everyone who plays fantasy football to make Dulcich a late-round selection in their draft, and Washington could very well become Willis’ go-to weapon based on what the media saw in the offseason program.
There likely won’t be a better opportunity than this for Dulcich, whom Miami claimed off the waiver wire last season, and Washington, a 2024 sixth-round pick, to establish themselves as legitimate NFL starters than now.
All they need to do is follow the Paul pathway, which was fueled by his obsession to his craft, and improving himself last offseason.
Miami desperately needs Willis, Washington, Dulcich and offensive guard Jonah Savaiinaea to turn the volume up on their games if this offense will have a chance at being respectable this upcoming season.
There’s also half a dozen defensive players whose game needs to mimic Paul’s progression for Jeff Hafley’s first Dolphins defense to look respectable.
Kenneth Grant and Jordan Phillips, two defensive tackles who cut their teeth as starters in their rookie season, can’t blame this upcoming season’s struggles on youth and inexperience because last year’s playing time was an investment made with the intention of speeding up their development.
Chop Robinson, Josh Uche and David Ojabo are viewed as the front-runners to become Miami’s starting and rotational edge rushers because of the talent, experience level and maybe former draft stature each possesses.
If Robinson, a 2024 first-round pick, Uche, a six-year veteran who has delivered 21.5 sacks in the 76 games he has played, but has only started four of those contests, and Ojabo, a former second-round pick whose career with Baltimore consistently stalled because of injuries, can’t deliver the stout edge-setting Miami’s defensive front needs this franchise will be in trouble because the options behind them aren’t appetizing.
And that’s not the only defensive unit that would benefit from unproven players following Paul’s lead.
After trading Minkah Fitzpatrick to the New York Jets for a 2026 seventh-round pick and not re-signing cornerbacks Rasul Douglas, Jack Jones and Kader Kohou, and safeties Ashytn Davis, Ifeatu Melifonwu, Elijah Campbell the entire starting secondary must be restocked.
Dante Trader Jr., who had an established role as a rookie contributor last season, is one of Miami’s young players who had shown significant growth this offseason.
With a strong training camp, one where the former Maryland standout football and lacrosse player stays healthy, he will likely become that secondary’s leader.
But who plays next to him as Miami’s other safety, and the cornerback on the field in 2026 are a mystery at this point, with the lone exception of Chris Johnson, Miami’s 2026 first-round pick, filling the nickel cornerback role.
JuJu Brents and Ethan Bonner have flashed potential throughout previous NFL seasons. Brents’ two-game performance as a starter with Miami last season hinted that he could be special, if he could stay healthy.
Bonner, a third-year veteran who has worked his way up the roster as a former undrafted player, has a reputation as one of Miami’s five fastest players, consistently clocking one of the team’s top three speeds in practice based on the team’s tracker every player wears.
Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle often brag about how fast he is, and Bonner would have begun last season as Miami’s starting cornerback if he hadn’t sustained a bad ankle injury in Miami’s preseason game against the Detroit Lions. Then Bonner labored to get healthy when he did return from injured reserve.
Last year’s opportunity was lost, but this season presents a clean slate, and new hope for him and most of Miami’s roster, which is filled with young, unproven starters and NFL journeymen looking to find solid footing with a team starting over, which is indeed the Dolphins.
The runway is clear for takeoff, and we’ll soon be able to identify the high flyers such as Paul.
