Kelly: Is Zayne Anderson the answer at safety, or the placeholder | Opinion
Reliability, familiarity and consistency go a long way when a franchise is laying a new foundation and needs people to serve as the blueprint.
That’s why new coaches that come from other organizations typically bring “their guys” with them to the new spot, hoping that those players can teach others the ways of the offense, defense, and culture.
Malik Willis wasn’t the only former Green Bay Packer that general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan, and newly appointed head coach Jeff Hafley brought with them, and one of “their guys” has a legitimate chance to become a starter for the Miami Dolphins.
“I was a big fan of Zayne,” Hafley said, referring to Zayne Anderson, who has spent the past two seasons in Hafley’s defense in Green Bay.
“He’s very unselfish. He knows what he’s doing,” Hafley said. “He studies it really hard, and he’s a guy that has worked really hard to put himself in a position to where he is now. I think for me, it always comes back to trust. I trust the guy.”
And that’s why Anderson should be viewed as the front-runner to start opposite Dante Trader Jr. as Miami’s safety tandem when training camp opens later this month.
“Have you guys met Zayne yet?” defensive coordinator Sean Duggan asked the assembled media this summer. “First off, he’s an unbelievable person.
“He’s a great teammate and really cares for other people,” Duggan continued. “He’s a guy that plays with unbelievable effort and knows what he’s doing.”
That means he sets a great example, which is what a rebuilding franchise like the Dolphins need when the roster is filled with young, inexperienced players.
“He was with us in Green Bay and studied just as much as anybody on the team,” Duggan said. “When his number was called he was ready for it. I’m excited to see him continue to take sets in his career. I can’t say enough good things about Zayne.”
Anderson, a former BYU standout, played in 40 games during his three seasons with the Packers, contributing 36 tackles, recovering two fumbles, breaking up two passes and pulling down one interception in 145 defensive snaps.
That’s quite a bit of productivity for what amounts to less than three games of defensive snaps.
The Dolphins guaranteed $565,000 of Anderson’s $1.2 million base salary, which gives him the inside track to be one of the five or six safeties to make the 53-man roster.
For comparison sake, none of Lonnie Johnson Jr.’s $1.3 million base salary is guaranteed, and he received the same $187,500 signing bonus Anderson got.
“I was with him for the first two years when [Hafley and Duggans] came in, and we had some really good safeties over there. I was the backup, and [they] needed to have that trust. We had some games where a couple of guys went down and I had to step into that role,” said Anderson, who started two games for the Packers. “Those guys helped me become a better football player. Why would I not want to come here?
“I felt like there was some opportunity down here, and I needed to make a move.”
At this point, we can put Anderson in the same category as Walt Aikens, Michael Thomas, and Elijah Campbell, past Dolphins safeties who excelled on special teams, and were viewed as reliable contributors.
But were they good enough to serve as NFL starters?
None were.
We will soon learn if Anderson is because he’s being given an opportunity every former undrafted player and practice squad player dreams of?
We’ll likely find out quickly because training camp will serve as an audition to determine who starts opposite Trader, a second-year player who played 419 defensive snaps last season, and excelled during this year’s offseason program.
Who starts opposite him at the other safety spot is anyone’s guess at this point.
Johnson, a former second-round pick who has carved out a role for himself in the NFL as a special teams contributor, Anderson and Omar Brown, another player whom Hafley brought with him from Green Bay, were all signed this offseason to compete for a roster spot, if not starting role.
The Dolphins drafted former Texas standout Michael Taffe in the fifth round of the 2026 Draft, and former Indiana safety Louis Moore, whom the Dolphins signed as an undrafted rookie free agent, and Major Burns, a former LSU standout who Miami signed because he had a breakout season with the UFL’s Houston Gamblers, are also in the mix.
At this point it would be dangerous to wager on any of them to become the player paired with Trader because it’s too early.
But it is pretty clear what Anderson’s motivation is.
“It’s been a lot of ups and down. I came into Kansas City undrafted, went up and down the (practice) squad. Cut, claims, back to Green Bay. I was there for the past three years. I’m just staying the course,” Anderson said. “There is always a stepping stone. Being [a starter] is something I want to accomplish.
“I’ve gotten on the field for special teams, and did that at a high level. Now it’s about playing defense at a high level. Executing and becoming a better football player.”
And by better he means a starter.
