Finsmob Unleashed

Even a casual Miami Dolphins can see the team hasn’t really fortified the secondary in this 2025 off season. Sure, we drafted a CB and a S in RD 5, but going into the draft knowing well you were parting ways with one of your starting CB’s, and a good one, your best (CB Jalen Ramsey”, I don’t care if you’re the mostest optimistic fan, you see the Dolphins are just hoping against odds that a collection of late RD draft picks and undrafted free agents can form a legitimate secondary. Throw in the fact that both safeties we added haven’t been starters the last 3 seasons, except for a spot starts, 10 of 51 for Melifonwu, and 6 of 51 for Davis. There will be competition, and according to DC Anthony Weaver, “A lot of players with chips on their shoulders”. Much like the D-line last year, we were really short there but DE/DT Calais Campbell luckily chose us. Is it possible we get lucky and another veteran CB chooses us and starts? Absolutely, and that could be a long in the tooth veteran like Stephon Gilmore or Rasul Douglas, or maybe a younger guy who is currently coming off shoulder surgery in CB Asante Samuel Jr.

Who would be the likely starters right now? While this might be a futile exercise because nothing has happened yet, you could guess that Cam Smith and Storm Duck would be the outside CB’s and Kader Kohou would be the in the slot. Who would be the competition? There’s a whole bunch of guys, including players that have been here in CB’s Jason Maitre, Ethan Bonner, and Isaiah Johnson, Jason Marshall who was a 5th RD draft pick this year, and then a veteran we recently picked up Kendall Sheffield, as well as nickel corner Artie Burns who we signed earlier this year. Add in CB’s Ethan Robinson, BJ Adams and John Saunders, who were undrafted and signed by the Dolphins. So lots of hungry mouths, but many of them won’t make the cut, and even the ones that do may not necessarily be starting CB material, but they will be starting for us anyway if we don’t upgrade.

At safety, there will also be some healthy competition with the guys I mentioned, probable starters Ifeatu Melifonwu at SS, and then Ashtyn Davis at FS. 2024 Draftee S Patrick McMorris and this years 5th RD pick S Dante Trader will also be in the mix, as well as Elijah Campbell and UDFA Jordan Colbert. McMorris looked very good in the preseason games last year, and Elijah Campbell although he’s also a very valuable St’s guy, Campbell will be in the mix at S. There might even be a little bit of a rotation or situational use for some of these guys, but they may still see the field on certain downs and distances. Time will tell there. I like the safety situation better than the CB’s, for whatever that’s worth.

In a usual season, I’d be angry about this, but I don’t think this team has the chops on either side of the ball to compete with the best teams, and therefore, I have no anger about the neglect. GM Chris Grier has been piecing together this team for the last 2 seasons, mostly ignored the D0line, picking up a bunch of rotational players and then of course lucking out into getting excellent production form a 38 year old veteran DL in Calais Campbell. As I mentioned, maybe Grier gets bailed out again by some CB we pick up or trade for when Jalen Ramsey is either traded or cut outright. Everyone is mostly excited about the D-line and our new draftees Kenneth Grant, Jordan Phillips, and Zeek Biggers along with some of the players and UDFA’s we also signed including Matt Dickerson and Alex Huntley. Add in the return of two potentially important pass rushing LB’s Jaelan Phillips and Bradley Chubb, along with sophomore pass rusher Chop Robinson who flashed in his rookie season, you can see why fans are enthusiastic about the front 7. DT’s Grant and Phillips could (should) see lots of playing time, and our inside LB while unspectacular, is pretty darn solid. ILB’s Jordyn Brooks and Tyrel Dodson will probably start with nice depth from ILB’s Willie Gay and K.J. Britt.

All that looks promising, and if OLB’s Bradley Chubb and Jaelan Phillips are healthy all season and producing, even I can admit that the secondary shouldn’t be as much of an issue, except when you play the best teams, and then those weaknesses are exposed again and again. As many of you know here, I think the offense will have to carry this team. That’s not to say this defense could turn out to be a good unit, but an awful lot of good things need to happen, and to be fair, when does that happen for us Dolphins fans? Are we really going to get buy with 5 guys in the secondary who probably wouldn’t start for any other team in the NFL, let alone our own division? We need this offense to hum, perhaps not to the same high level of 2023 where we were 2nd in the NFL scoring 29.2 PPG, but not too far off of that. I understand as much as the next guy that sometimes competition brings out the best in some players and that sometimes players rise to the occasion and win jobs they weren’t expected to get. On the other hand, the best of the worst doesn’t always translate into success against the rest of the NFL. We’re going to need this offense to be great again (MTOGA?). If that happens, maybe it’s OK that the concern for our defensive backfield is a secondary one.

GO DOLPHINS!!!

Happy Memorial Day!!! Thanks to all those who have served and to those who have made the ultimate sacrifice