Dolphins 2026 Camp CB Preview: Young Group Long on Potential, Short on Experience

Breaking down the Miami Dolphins by position as head into training camp

Miami Dolphins cornerback Chris Johnson works during rookie minicamp at Baptist Health Training Complex. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Miami Dolphins are inching ever closer to the start of another training camp, one that's filled with mystery and intrigue as the result of the most complete overhaul the franchise has seen in many years.

The Dolphins will head into this training camp with a new general manager (Jon-Eric Sullivan), new head coach (Jeff Hafley) and new quarterback (Malik Willis) since 2008 — though we could put an asterisk on 2019 when the Dolphins had Brian Flores as a first-year head coach, Ryan Fitzpatrick as a new quarterback and Chris Grier returning as GM but with more authority after the departure of Executive Vice President of Football Operations Mike Tannenbaum.

Regardless, it's a brand new day for the Miami Dolphins, and after the first steps of the offseason comes the real leadup to the 2026 regular season with training camp.

With a roster overloaded with young or unproven players, this should be one of the more interesting training camps in a while and we'll be previewing it with a series of position previews.

We continue with the cornerbacks.

Cornerback Position Breakdown

On the roster: Alex Austin, Darrell Baker Jr., Miles Battle, Ethan Bonner, JuJu Brents, Storm Duck, A.J. Green III, Chris Johnson, Jason Marshall Jr., Ethan Robinson, Marco Wilson

2025 stats:
Brents: 7 games, 2 starts, 1 pass defensed
Duck: 2 games, 1 statt, 1 pass defensed
Marshall: 12 games, 1 start, 1 interception, 4 passes defensed
Johnson (at San Diego State): 11 games, 4 interceptions, 2 touchdowns, 9 passes defensed

Projected depth chart: Chris Johnson, JuJu Brents, Jason Marshall Jr., Storm Duck, Ethan Bonner

Offseason moves: Signed Miles Battle to a future contract ... re-signed A.J. Green III as an unrestricted free agent ... signed Alex Austin, Darrell Baker Jr. and Marco Wilson as unrestricted free agents ... re-signed Ethan Bonner as an exclusive-rights free agent ... selected Chris Johnson in the first round (27th overall) of the 2026 NFL draft ... waived Isaiah Johnson and Jason Maitre

Training camp CBs one year ago: Kader Kohou, Cam Smith, Artie Burns, Ryan Cooper Jr., Ethan Bonner, Kendall Sheffield, Storm Duck, Isaiah Johnson, Jason Marshall Jr., Jason Maitre, B.J. Adams

Position better or worse than at the end of the 2025 season: You'll notice that the cornerback roster at the start of camp last year didn't include Jack Jones or Rasul Douglas, who ended up being the two starters for all (Jones) or most (Douglas) of the season. That training camp group was pretty nondescript as well after the departures of Jalen Ramsey and Kendall Fuller, though there were big hopes for Kohou after his solid 2024 performance. But maybe Johnson and his first-round pedigree beats that and Brents probably has been more upside than any of the young cornerbacks last year. So, yes, for all the shots the cornerback position has been taking, it's probably a better group than what the Dolphins went into training camp with in 2025.

THE THREE BIGGEST QUESTIONS AT CORNERBACK

1. What are fair expectations for Chris Johnson?

Johnson became the first cornerback the Dolphins have selected in the first round since Noah Igbinoghene in 2020, which probably isn't a great memory for Miami fans. Johnson arrives with much higher expectations, however, after he starred at the position at San Diego State. The Dolphins thought enough of Johnson to trade up for him in back end of the first round (unless trading down before selecting Igbinoghene) and he's significantly closer to a finished product. The basic expectation for Johnson is that he'll start from Day 1 and at the very least he should be a solid cover corner from the jump. We shouldn't expect four picks or two pick-sixes like he had last year, but he should be able to get his hands on the ball.

2. Who among the free agent additions has the best chance to stick?

This is what training camp will determine, though Darrell Baker Jr. will be playing catch-up after being out for the spring, just like returning player Storm Duck was. Baker, Marco Wilson and Alex Austin all were under-the-radar acquisitions who will need to unseat players like Ethan Bonner and Duck to earn a roster spot. Austin and Wilson didn't look out of place in the spring practices open to the media, but consistency will be a key.

3. Will the Dolphins add a veteran to the group?

Injuries will provide that answer to a certain degree because Jones and Douglas joined the Dolphins last summer after Burns and Kohou went down with season-ending injuries, but the Dolphins will not be signing any pricey veterans or somebody who might have other options with a more established team. The Dolphins could use proven players to upgrade the group as a whole, but there's no reason to think any move will be made unless it's injury-necessitated.