Potential Replacements for Jevon Holland

The deadline to place the franchise tag on players came and went Tuesday, and the Miami Dolphins did not use the tag on free agent safety Jevon Holland. This means it’s highly unlikely that Holland will return next season.

This was the expected outcome for Holland, who was a primary contributor to the Dolphins for four straight seasons. However, 2024 was arguably Holland’s worst season, possibly leading the Dolphins to believe they were better off letting him leave.

The Dolphins also likely looked ahead to the free agent and draft class and decided there were enough viable replacements for Holland. With that in mind, we’ve decided to cover five options in free agency or the draft that the Dolphins could bring in to replace Holland.

Top Replacements for Jevon Holland

Tre'von Moehrig, Las Vegas Raiders

Two of the most important boxes any potential Holland replacement must check are versatility and durability. Although primarily settling at free safety, Holland bounced around Miami’s defense through the years and mostly avoided injury.

Moehrig has been a fixture of the Raiders defense during the last four seasons. He played 98.7 of the team’s defensive snaps last season and has played in all 17 games in three out of his four years in the league.

As for versatility, Moehrig played 439 snaps in the box, 361 at free safety, and 191 in the slot. He was also incredibly productive last season despite the Raiders' underwhelming defense.

Moehrig posted 10 pass breakups, two interceptions, 104 total tackles, two forced recoveries, one sack, and 10.5 run stuffs. He also seems to be getting better in key areas. Last season, Moehrig had the lowest missed tackle percentage (7.4%) and yards allowed per reception (9.6) of his career.

Like Moehrig’s stats and snap count distribution suggest, he gives a defense a little bit of everything. His tape is filled with good plays against the run, where he breaks downhill and makes a tackle near the line of scrimmage. However, he also shows excellent coverage instincts, especially in the middle of the field.

The last selling point for Moehrig is his age, as he won’t turn 26 until June. The Dolphins could give him a multi-year deal without worrying about a potential athletic falloff.

Xavier Woods, Carolina Panthers

Xavier Woods lacks Moehrig’s youth, but he had a career resurgence with the Panthers last season. Woods played 100 percent of the Panthers’ defense snaps last season and will turn 30 before next season.

Defensive backs tend to struggle into their 30s. However, Woods’ has never played less than 14 games in his eight-year career, including three seasons when he played in every game.

Additionally, Woods primarily lined up in a free safety role, which is where many of Holland’s snaps were. Woods played 658 snaps at deep safety, 379 in the box, and 147 at slot cornerback.

Woods finished the 2025 season with 119 total tackles, three interceptions, six passes defended, and 3.5 run stuffs. It’s important to note that Woods played on arguably the worst defense in the NFL last season.

A lot of his tape shows him covering for cornerbacks who are beaten deep and having to navigate a lot of poor run fits in front of him. Despite that, Woods allowed the third-fewest yards in coverage of his career and had his second-best missed tackle rate (10.8).

The Dolphins will have to decide whether they’re comfortable signing a stopgap option to replace Holland. Although Woods has been durable, betting on an older defensive back for multiple seasons is risky.

Andre Cisco, Jacksonville Jaguars

If the Dolphins wanted to swing at a young, talented, but inconsistent player, Andre Cisco is the way to go. The Jaguars selected Cisco in the third round of the 2021 NFL draft, and his career has been a roller-coaster ride, to say the least.

Cisco struggled to get on the field as a rookie in 2021, but he exploded onto the scene in 2022, recording three interceptions, five pass breakups, and allowing an opposing QB rating of just 84.2. In 2023, he followed that up with four interceptions and a passer rating allowed of 83.9.

However, Cisco fell off quite a bit this past season. He recorded just one interception, and his passer rating allowed jumped to a whopping 125.7, the highest mark of his career.

His decline in coverage ability put more focus on his tackling and run defense prowess, which has never been a strength of his game. Cisco’s missed tackle rate has never dipped below 12.5 percent, and it hit its highest mark ever last season at 13.9 percent.

So, why should the Dolphins consider taking a shot on Cisco? Free agency is filled with flawed players. If they weren’t somehow flawed, their original team likely would have kept them.

In Cisco’s case, he’s a young player with the talent to be a Pro Bowl-caliber player. And since he just had his worst season, the Dolphins could get him for a bargain. He’ll be 25 before next season starts and has two years of good tape. There are far worse bets to make.

Cisco is a pure free safety, so he’d have to be paired with a more versatile player. A setup like the Dolphins' one in 2023 between Holland and DeShon Elliott would be ideal for Cisco.

Malaki Starks, Georgia Bulldogs

Moving on to options in the upcoming 2025 NFL Draft, Malaki Starks has been a name linked to the Dolphins in mock drafts at pick 13 for quite a while.

Although Starks’ hype has cooled down in recent weeks, he still profiles as an excellent long-term replacement for Holland. Last season, Starks played 400 snaps at free safety, 215 in the box, and 271 in the slot.

Starks’ best spot is free safety, where he’s shown the ability to be an effective single-high player throughout three seasons in the SEC. His instincts are well above average for a college player and should translate well to the NFL.

His ability to play the slot might be an extra appealing quality for the Dolphins. Miami’s cornerback room is very uncertain, as Jalen Ramsey is the only quality starter currently under contract.

Starks also proved to be a potent playmaker with the Bulldogs. In three seasons, he recorded six interceptions and 14 pass breakups. The caveat is that he had just one interception and two pass breakups this past season.

Starks had probably his worst collegiate season in 2024, but his tape still shows a player worthy of going in the first round. If he falls to where the Dolphins are picking in the second round (48th overall), he’d be a no-brainer selection.

Andrew Mukuba, Texas

Mukuba rounds out our list as a player the Dolphins might be able to draft in Round 3 or 4 this April. The Texas product has outstanding tape, but a few pitfalls in his evaluation could push him down boards.

Starting with the positives, Mukuba’s ability to play in deep zones and make plays on the ball are both great. He should have no issue filling in Holland’s snaps at deep safety. Mukuba recorded five interceptions and six pass breakups last season, helping Texas in its College Football Playoff run.

Mukuba is also quite the physical presence. He has no issues playing near the line of scrimmage and attempting to bring down ball carriers who get to the second level. The problem is that Mukuba doesn’t have the size to back that style of play up.

At the NFL Combine last week, he was listed at 5-11 and 188 pounds. Those numbers rank in the 39th and 14th percentiles, respectively. That lack of size likely means Mukuba will be an injury risk and somewhat of a liability against the run.

His tape shows a player who plays bigger than his weight and frame would suggest, so the Dolphins could take a shot on him and try to pair him with a more traditional strong safety.

Finding a player to replace Holland’s coverage instincts will be difficult, and Mukuba at least has that box checked.