What to Make of the Week 1 Dolphins Depth Chart

The interesting item from the Dolphins' initial depth chart of the 2025 regular season can be found on defense

Miami Dolphins cornerback Jack Jones (23) runs on the field during training camp at Baptist Health Training Complex. | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel said after the team signed veteran cornerback Rasul Douglas last week that he wouldn't be handed a starting job and he clearly meant it based on the team's Week 1 depth chart.

While the depth chart never should be taken as the final word, it's certainly more indicative of reality during the regular season than during the preseason, and this is where we are right now.

And it's why it was quite notable that it was Jack Jones, who was signed earlier in training camp, listed as the starting cornerback opposite second-year player Storm Duck.

Jones being first on the depth chart doesn't necessarily mean he will be in the starting lineup against the Indianapolis Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium on Sunday, but it's also probably more likely than not that he will be.

While Douglas clearly is a more proven commodity than Jones with a much longer NFL resume, Jones performed pretty well throughout training camp and the preseason and it says here he absolutely deserves the opportunity to start, and Douglas will or should be ready to take over if Jones' performance falls short.

After all, the whole idea of signing Douglas was to add competition to a cornerback group with very little in terms of proven players.

“We’re not in the business of handing over those positions, especially in a competitive environment," McDaniel said last week. "I think Rasul, we felt like, ensured even another step up of competitiveness in the room and so whether it’s him starting or someone else, I think overall the Dolphins are better. We weren’t plugging and playing, we were putting him in the group and seeing how that shakes out. We have three extra practices on top of a normal work week for Week 1 to kind of sift through that. It’s a competitive room that we’ll for sure start the guys that are in best position to start Week 1.”

While he's only been in the NFL for three seasons, while Douglas is going into his ninth season, Jones does have 21 career starts, including 16 for the Las Vegas Raiders in 2024.

OTHER DEPTH CHART DETAILS

The other notable aspect of the Dolphins' Week 1 depth chart on defense was the fact that Bradley Chubb, Chop Robinson and Jaelan Phillips all were listed as first-team players like they were in the preseason, but this time there were only 11 total starters with the nickel back position eliminated.

This, of course, is for record-keeping purposes because we all know that the Dolphins will employ five defensive backs at the same time on occasion, and the likelihood heading into the regular season is that rookie Jason Marshall Jr. will be that nickel corner.

Miami Dolphins 2025 fifth-round pick Jason Marshall Jr. | Alain Poupart - Miami Dolphins On SI

Besides, Robinson and Chubb continue to be listed as defensive end and Phillips as a linebacker, and we might not see all three on the field together very often outside of obvious pass-rushing situations.

For now, the Dolphins list Zach Sieler and Benito Jones as first-team defensive tackles sandwiched by Chubb and Chop.

Against a team that figures to want to establish the run game like the Colts, it's entirely possible — if not likely — the Dolphins will open on defense with a third big body inside, logically rookie first-round pick Kenneth Grant. That would take one of the three edge defenders — because that's really what Chop, Chubb, Phillips and veteran Matthew Judon are — off the field.

At safety, Ashtyn Davis started the preseason as the first-team player next to Minkah Fitzpatrick and that didn't change with the arrival of the regular season despite Davis missing most of camp and all of the preseason with a foot/ankle injury.

ALL OBVIOUS ON OFFENSE

There was absolutely nothing surprising about the Dolphins Week 1 depth chart on offense.

That includes veteran Zach Wilson listed as the second-team quarterback behind Tua Tagovailoa and Jaylen Wright being the No. 2 running back behind De'Von Achane despite being injured and despite rookie Ollie Gordon's strong summer showing.

Miami Dolphins RB Ollie Gordon II | Alain Poupart - Miami Dolphins On SI

On the offensive line, it's worth noting that Larry Borom is listed as the backup at right tackle behind Austin Jackson and Kendall Lamm is listed as the backup left tackle behind Patrick Paul.