3 Dolphins Training Camp Battles to Watch

The Miami Dolphins’ rookies reported to training camp on Tuesday, but the real reps won’t start until veterans report on July 22nd.

Still, one of the more interesting parts of every training camp is the positional battles that take place. Not only are players fighting for a roster spot, but there are also usually a few starting and role spots up for grabs.

That is certainly the case for the Dolphins, a team that has made numerous changes this offseason. With training camp’s genuine start getting closer, we’ve decided to look at some of the more high-stakes positional battles to pay attention to this summer.

Dolphins Training Camp Battles

No. 1: Two Cornerback Spots

Contenders: Every cornerback on the roster

What Miami decides to do with the cornerback position is by far the most interesting battle in camp. We know Kader Kohou will occupy either one outside spot or the starting slot role, but the other two are entirely up for grabs.

Even if the Dolphins sign a veteran they’ve been linked to, like Rasul Douglas or Asante Samuel Jr., there will still be one open spot.

Listing every cornerback as a potential option seems a bit dramatic, but if the Dolphins don’t add a veteran before the season starts, there’s not much separating the cornerbacks Miami has — none of them have impressive pedigrees, either.

The group consists of former UDFAs (Storm Duck, Ethan Bonner, Isaiah Johnson), veterans who struggled elsewhere and have barely played in recent seasons (Artie Burns, Kendall Sheffield), a 2025 fifth-round pick (Jason Marshall), and UDFAs from this year (Ethan Robinson, BJ Adams).

The only outlier is former second-round pick Cam Smith, who has struggled with injuries and butted heads with past defensive coordinators.

It’s anyone’s game, as there’s no reason for the Dolphins to be picky about who wins the available spots. If Smith comes to camp and gets outplayed again, the Dolphins won’t hand him the job just because he’s a second-rounder.

Setting aside whether rolling with this group of cornerbacks is a good idea, this will be arguably the biggest storyline during training camp.

No. 2: Receiving Tight End

Contenders: Darren Waller, Tanner Conner, Jalin Conyers

Parsing out Miami’s tight end room is a bit difficult because it’s comprised of two “starting” positions. Pharaoh Brown and Julian Hill will also be competing for the team’s primary blocking tight end, but there’s a high chance both players will see the field this season.

Instead, we’re going to focus on which one of the Dolphins’ pass-catching tight ends will get the most opportunities in 2025. This role probably won’t feature many touch opportunities, but given Miami traded for Waller, it’s clearly an option they want to have available.

Waller is a good place to start because he’s easily the most talented option the Dolphins have. He had several great seasons with the Raiders and had solid production in 2023 with the Giants.

However, Waller didn’t play last season because he retired and has an extensive injury history — one of the reasons he retired in the first place. Relying on him to make significant contributions this season is risky.

That leaves enough of an opening for Conner to beat out Waller. Conner has been with the team for a few years, is an impressive athlete, and knows the system. He needs to perform better when the pads come on, but he has a genuine opportunity to earn reps.

Although Waller played under Dolphins offensive coordinator Frank Smith before, Miami’s current offense is nothing like what the Raiders ran back then.

Conyers is a total longshot, but he’s plenty athletic enough to keep up with Conner in a scenario where Waller is well behind learning the offense or getting back into shape.

Ultimately, this comes down to Waller's physical condition and whether he’s truly committed to playing football again. If he’s anything close to the player he was with the Giants, he should win this job easily, but that’s not a given.

No. 3: Third Running Back

Contenders: Alexander Mattison, Ollie Gordon II

A team’s third running back isn’t an overly important spot, but the Dolphins probably care about it a bit more than most teams.

One of the prevailing narratives about the Dolphins is that they struggle to run the ball effectively in short-yardage situations. Well, the team added two bigger backs this offseason in Alexander Mattison and Ollie Gordon II.

Mattison was signed from the Raiders, and Gordon II was a sixth-round pick — And both players project well enough to a short-yardage role that it would be surprising to see the Dolphins keep both on the final roster.

Mattison has the pedigree advantage, having had a couple of good seasons with the Vikings before struggling significantly in Las Vegas last year.

As for Gordon II, he was arguably college football’s best running back in 2023 before having a brutal 2024 season, leading to his draft stock taking a nosedive.

We would like to see Gordon II win the job because he’s got a lot more upside than someone like Mattison. However, if Miami feels like Mattison’s short-yardage work is better, Gordon II might not have a place on the final roster.

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