Dolphins Bring in Top UFL Safety for a Tryout

The Miami Dolphins are looking under every cushion to find hidden treasure as they build their football team. They had a workout with a player who starred both at LSU and in the UFL.

Nov 30, 2024; Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA; LSU Tigers safety Major Burns (8) hugs his family as seniors are being honored during the beginning of the first quarter at Tiger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images | Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

The Miami Dolphins and Los Angeles Rams are in two different places as NFL teams.

The Rams are competing for a Super Bowl, and building their roster accordingly as they traded for star defensive end Myles Garrett on Monday.

The Dolphins are in a different spot, and also have to build their roster accordingly. Taking big swings for a player like Garrett would be irresponsible with the rest of the roster unable to match Garrett’s greatness.

Because of that, the Dolphins have to search in every nook and cranny to find players to fit their roster, which led them to look into the United Football League, as a source told Dolphins on SI that they worked out safety Major Burns.

Burns’ football journey took him to the UFL for this spring where he had his breakout season, tying for the league lead with four interceptions.

The Miami #Dolphins are working out Houston #Gamblers safety Major Burns today, per source.

Burns was unbelievable this #UFL season, with 47 TKL, 4 INT, & 4 PBU's (9 games).

Had an outstanding 90.1 Defensive Grade via PFF. Belongs in the NFL. pic.twitter.com/7VM7YuLgDu

— James Larsen (@JamesLarsenPFN) June 1, 2026

Burns started his college career at Georgia before transferring to LSU, where he played for four years. Burns amassed 33 starts, 11 TFL’s and two interceptions in his college career.

When Burns’ college career ended, he signed as an undrafted free agent with the Chicago Bears.

Burns was released at the end of training camp before having to head to spring football, but will continue to chase his dream, even if his mother has kept him grounded in how hard it is to play this sport professionally.

“I told him, ‘You are that one percent,’” said Choretta Burns. “As he got older, coaches would say, ‘Play for fun, only 1 percent of you are going to make it to the NFL.’

Burns is going to try to continue to be one of the 1 percent that his coaches used to tell him as Miami is trying to build its way back into contention.

The Opportunity

If Burns is looking for a spot to try find his way onto an NFL roster, Miami could be the place for him to grow into the best version of himself.

Head coach Jeff Hafley has an extensive background as a defensive backs coach, and most recently was the defensive coordinator for Xavier McKinney’s first-team All-Pro season in Green Bay in 2024.

The birth of any major starting point in a career is an opportunity, and there is plenty of that in Miami.

Hafley liked using three safeties on the field during his time in Green Bay with McKinney, Evan Williams, and Javon Bullard all getting the lion's share of defensive snaps during Hafley’s tenure.

Miami’s safety room is a land of opportunity at the moment with the starters currently slated to be Lonnie Johnson Jr. and Dante Trader Jr.

Even in Burns’ wildest dreams, he’s unlikely to be looking at a starting spot in 2026 barring injuries spreading through the safety room.

He’d be looking at the back half of the roster and trying to make his mark on special teams.

Zayne Anderson was a veteran the Dolphins signed away from Green Bay this offseason, and he was one of their best special teams players over the last two seasons. That likely would be one of Burns’ main forms of competition along with fifth-round draft choice Michael Taaffe, and Omar Brown.

None of the aforementioned players are established as defensive stalwarts, and even the starting tandem leaves something to be desired.

The Approach

Miami’s roster building approach is different because of the situation they currently find themselves in. Earlier in the offseason, Jon-Eric Sullivan noted that his team needed to get younger and less expensive as they dig their way out of the contracts that were handed out to Tyreek Hill and Tua Tagovailoa.

As a result, finding players across the NFL, college game, and spring leagues are going to be paramount as the Dolphins progress through the early stages of a rebuild.

Sullivan and his regime are no strangers to this situation. Sullivan comes from Green Bay, where the Packers take pride in keeping undrafted free agents on the roster. The most shining example of that came in 2010 when they kept Sam Shields at cornerback, and he became a catalyst for their Super Bowl run.

Shields’ outcome would be the ceiling for almost any payer who comes in for a workout from spring football.

These workouts are not going to grab headlines like a blockbuster trade or a marquee free agent signing, but they are essential to building a contender, which is exactly what Sullivan’s goal is in Miami.