Dolphins Roster Tiers: From the Locks to the Long Shots

Examining the roster projection from a different angle as the Miami Dolphins prepare to kick off training camp

Miami Dolphins players team huddle at minicamp at the Baptist Health Training Complex. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Miami Dolphins will be kicking off their 2026 training camp this week with veterans reporting Tuesday and the first practice scheduled for the next day.

Over the course of the next several weeks, the team will prepare for the start of the first regular season under new head coach Jeff Hafley along with determining which players should be on the active roster for the beginning of his new chapter of Dolphins football.

As is the case every summer, a portion of the roster already should be pretty obvious, though that number is clearly lower for the Dolphins this year after their offseason roster overhaul.

We produced our 53-man roster projection at the conclusion of the offseason program in the middle of June, but now we offer a different perspective with by grouping every player in different tiers in terms of their chances of being on that 53.

We'll be revisiting this list before the start of the preseason August 14 to see any players have been able to move up a tier or others have fallen a notch or two.

THE DOLPHINS TIERS RELATIVE TO THE 53-MAN ROSTER

THE LOCKS (22)

C Aaron Brewer, CB Chris Johnson, DT Zeek Biggers, DT Kenneth Grant, DT Jordan Phillips, DT Zach Sieler, EDGE Chop Robinson, G Kadyn Proctor, LB Jordyn Brooks, LB Jacob Rodriguez, LS Tucker Addington, P Bradley Pinion, QB Quinn Ewers, QB Malik Willis, RB De'Von Achane, S Dante Trader Jr., T Austin Jackson, T Patrick Paul, TE Greg Dulcich, TE Will Kacmarek, WR Caleb Douglas, WR Malik Washington

This is pretty self-explanatory and this group consists of recent high draft picks, players recently given large contracts or young players with the arrow clearly pointed up. In the case of Addington and Pinion, they're included because they're only players at their position on the current roster. This should go without saying, but everything in this exercise is subject to health.

THE BORDERLINE LOCKS (17)

CB JuJu Brents, EDGE/LB Trey Moore, G Jonah Savaiinaea, LB Tyrel Dodson, LB Kyle Louis, RB Ollie Gordon II, WR Tutu Atwell, CB Jason Marshall Jr., EDGE David Ojabo, EDGE Josh Uche, G DJ Campbell, G/T Jamaree Salyer, S Zayne Anderson, S Michael Taaffe, WR Kevin Coleman Jr., WR Chris Bell, WR Jalen Tolbert

We'd expect every player here to also be on the 53, but they just don't quite carry the same degree of certainty as the locks. Dodson is on here strictly because the Dolphins drafted two off-the-ball linebackers this year and there's a cap savings involved. You'll also notice that draft picks starting with the fourth round don't carry quite the same degree of certainty as those from the first three rounds. That said, Bell is only on here because he'll be sidelined at the start of camp and we don't know exactly when he'll be ready to practice. Of the 16 players on this list, Brents might be the closest to removing the "borderline" and being a flat-out lock.

THE STRONG CANDIDATES (9)

OL Andrew Meyer, CB Ethan Bonner, LB Willie Gay Jr., K Riley Patterson, RB Jaylen Wright, S Lonnie Johnson Jr., T Charlie Heck, TE Ben Sims, TE Seydou Traore

All of these players basically have to not stumble during training camp and should have their place on the roster, though with Patterson it's more complicated because he can't control the performance of his kicking competition, namely Zane Gonzalez.

THE 50-50 PLAYERS (10)

CB A.J. Green III, CB Marco Wilson, DT Matthew Butler, EDGE Robert Beal Jr., EDGE Cameron Goode, LB Ronnie Harrison Jr., EDGE Max Llewellyn, LB Jackson Woodard, CB Darrell Baker Jr., CB Storm Duck

Duck would be more than a 50-50 proposition if not for the knee injury he sustained last year that has him on PUP for the start of training camp. You'll notice here the large number of cornerbacks and edge defenders, two positions where the Dolphins have a lot of players but few proven answers.

WORK TO DO (17)

CB Miles Battle, CB Alex Austin, DB Omar Brown, DT Rene Konga, EDGE Seth Coleman, EDGE Mason Reiger, FB D.J. Herman, K Zane Gonzalez, QB Cam Miller, RB Donovan Edwards, RB Carlos Washington Jr., S Major Burns, S Louis Moore, WR Theo Wease Jr., WR Terrace Marshall Jr., WR Tahj Washington, WR Jalen Reagor

The names that stand out here are the three rookie free agents — Konga, Moore and Reiger — who all have an intriguing enough skill set to merit attention but also need to prove they can compete at the NFL level. Miller is included in this group because he showed enough to get drafted in 2025 but also needs to show more in camp this summer to earn a roster spot.

THE LONG SHOTS (16)

C Jim Bonifas, CB Ethan Robinson, DT Alex Huntley, DT Keith Cooper Jr., DT Khalil Saunders, EDGE Rodney McGraw, G James Ester, G/T Josh Priebe, QB Mark Gronowski, RB Anthony Hankerson, T Gottlieb Ayedze, T Kevin Cline, T Marquis Cox, TE Cole Turner, WR A.J. Henning, WR Donaven McCauley

What you'll notice here is we're dealing with undrafted players and the reality — as much as coaches like to preach that everybody gets a shot and it doesn't matter where or even whether a player was drafted — is that those players always face a tougher road to make the roster.