Five Dolphins Players Primed for Bigger Roles After the Bye

The Miami Dolphins will return to action against the New Orleans Saints on November 30

Los Angeles Chargers tight end Oronde Gadsden II (86) runs the ball against Miami Dolphins safety Dante Trader Jr. (11) during the third quarter at Hard Rock Stadium. | Rich Storry-Imagn Images

The Miami Dolphins' 22-point scoring margin over the last four games is a reminder of the highs and lows that come with a 17-game season. 

The Dolphins lack year-over-year continuity with at least five new starters on both sides of the football. While that doesn’t excuse a 1-6 start, things are beginning to click after wins in three of their last four games.

Miami may lack the firepower to keep up in the playoff race, but players are getting comfortable and starting to play complementary football. With a week of rest before the final stretch, here are players who are trending in the right direction with six games left. 

DT Kenneth Grant

Grant has taken his lumps as a rookie. He started the season with three tackles against the Indianapolis Colts in Week 1, but followed it up with five straight performances with two or fewer. 

It was rough until Week 7, when Grant had a career-high four tackles and four stops while playing 30 snaps against the Cleveland Browns, according to Pro Football Focus. He had another strong performance in Week 11 with two tackles, a quarterback hit, and a stop against the Washington Commanders.

Grant, who Miami took 13th overall in the draft, was thrown into the starting lineup as a rookie and has 12 solo tackles and 1.5 sacks through 11 games. Christian Wilkins, who Miami took at 13 in the 2019 draft, had 23 solo tackles and a sack through his first 11 games. 

However, individual statistics rarely tell the full story—especially for a defensive tackle. Grant has started to look comfortable while also flashing the traits that made him a first-round pick, particularly as the Dolphins’ defense has held opponents to 13 points or fewer in three of the last four games.

TE Greg Dulcich 

Dulcich began the year on the Dolphins practice squad but has appeared in each of the last four games, catching eight of 13 targets for 89 yards. 

His role in the offense remains a work in progress after catching just three of eight targets over the last two weeks, but he does bring versatility to the unit. Per PFF, 37 of his 104 snaps with the Dolphins came as a blocker.

Dulcich, a 2022 third-round pick by the Denver Broncos, averaged 12.5 yards on 33 receptions while appearing in ten games as a rookie. He caught eight of 16 passes thrown his way over the following two seasons with Denver before he was waived by the team last November. 

Historically, Miami’s offense is at its best when it can lean on the speed of Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle, but coach Mike McDaniel has shown he can tailor his scheme to his personnel. Dulcich won’t become a high-volume target the way Jonnu Smith was last season, but he has a chance to carve out a role as a seam threat who helps Miami move the ball between the 20s.

CB Jason Marshall Jr. 

A fifth-round rookie out of Florida, Marshall struggled as Miami’s starting slot cornerback early in the season. Opposing quarterbacks completed all seven passes targeting him for 77 yards and a touchdown through the first three weeks, according to PFF.

Marshall suffered a hamstring injury in Week 3 against the Buffalo Bills but has looked much more comfortable in the three games since returning. He has recorded a pass breakup in each of the last two weeks and has missed just one tackle over that span, after missing four in his first three games. He’s also played 20 snaps on the boundary over the last two weeks after just two over the first three games.

Cornerback was a major hole on the roster entering the season, and while veterans Rasul Douglas and Jack Jones have filled in nicely, both are short-term solutions. Marshall, under contract for four years, could help provide the kind of depth at the position that’s been missing for Miami in recent seasons.

There’s a steep learning curve, especially for a Day 3 pick, but Marshall has shown signs of working through it and could be a reliable piece in Miami’s cornerback rotation next season.

S Dante Trader Jr. 

Speaking of fifth-round rookies, the Dolphins are trying to find a role for Trader. He played 51 snaps in Week 9 against the Baltimore Ravens and led the team with 13 tackles (eight solo). 

Trader played 23 snaps in the box and 19 at free safety, but it flipped the following week against Buffalo, playing 41 snaps at free safety and only 17 in the box. As a result, he finished the game with six tackles and two misses. 

Bouncing between free and strong safety, Trader has 35 tackles and a forced fumble, but opposing quarterbacks have also completed nine of 11 attempts when targeting him for 165 yards and a touchdown. 

Much like at cornerback, the Dolphins could use steady depth at safety. While Minkah Fitzpatrick is signed through 2026, both Ashtyn Davis and Ifeatu Melifonwu joined the Dolphins on one-year contracts.. 

Trader played a season-high 66 snaps against the Bills but only 15 against Washington with Davis back in the lineup after missing time with a quadriceps injury. While Trader has struggled at times, Miami would be wise to keep him in the rotation and see if he can be a part of the puzzle moving forward. 

TE Darren Waller

As the coaching staff finds ways to maximize strengths, it’s hard not to see Darren Waller as a dynamic red zone threat. Despite not playing football last season, Waller has caught 10 passes — four for touchdowns — in his four games with the Dolphins. 

Waller, 33, made his debut in Week 4 after recovering from a training camp hip injury, but then suffered a pectoral injury against the Cleveland Browns. That said, McDaniel said the injury was not season-ending, and he’s eligible to come off injured reserve as early as Week 12 against the New Orleans Saints.

While Waller hasn’t played more than 12 games in a season since 2020, Miami didn’t acquire him expecting the player who caught 107 passes for 1,196 yards with the Las Vegas Raiders. Now in his ninth NFL season, the Dolphins can maximize his impact and keep him healthy by picking their spots with him — especially in the red zone, where Waller is a nightmare to cover.