Ranking Dolphins Top 25 Players: Did Miami Get a Steal at Linebacker?

The Miami Dolphins are entering a critical season in 2025. After missing the playoffs last season and not making any blockbuster moves this offseason, the team is under a lot of pressure to finally get over the hump in the playoffs.

With that in mind, it seems like an excellent time to rank the Dolphins’ top 25 players heading into the 2025 season. This list was voted on by site publisher Alain Poupart (@PoupartNFL), deputy editor Dante Collinelli (@DanteCollinelli) and contributor Jake Mendel (@JMendel94).

The rankings were compiled separately based on a points system. That system awarded 25 points to the first player in each writer’s top 25, 24 to the second player, 23 to the third player, and so on.

The only caveat to these rankings is that we decided not to include cornerback Jalen Ramsey, who is still expected to be traded before the start of the regular season.

No. 24: Willie Gay Jr., Linebacker

Total Points: 7

Willie Gay Jr. is one of the Dolphins’ free agent acquisitions from this offseason and is mostly flying under the radar at this point in the process.

Gay likely will compete with Tyrel Dodson for a starting linebacker spot opposite Jordyn Brooks, but Dodson has the inside track for that spot, and Gay has a good amount of versatility to play other roles.

Gay appeared in 15 games and made eight starts for the New Orleans Saints last season. He recorded 28 total tackles, two sacks, three pass breakups, one forced fumble, and two tackles for loss. Those numbers were a step back for Gay, who played the fewest defensive snaps in his career (277) since his rookie season.

His best season came in 2022 when he started all 13 games he played for the Chiefs. He had 51 total tackles, 2.5 sacks, eight pass breakups, one interception, and nine tackles for loss.

Spending so much time with the Chiefs has also given Gay a lot of postseason experience. He’s already won two Super Bowls and played in nine postseason games, including the Dolphins’ wild-card loss against the Chiefs in the 2023 season.

Gay’s calling card is his pursuit speed and effort. He can track down plays sideline to sideline, and he’s athletic enough to play on the edge if needed. The Saints used him in that role a bit too much last season, but it’s nice option for the Dolphins.

The linebacker made a couple of nice plays during mandatory minicamp, but any practice without pads will favor a player with Gay’s speed and motor.

Gay makes our list because of his pedigree, versatility, and play style. Even if he doesn’t earn a starting job, he profiles as an incredibly useful player who has experience contributing on special teams.

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