Trader Time and Other Takeaways from First Dolphins Regular Season Depth Chart

Five days ahead of their Week 1 matchup against the Las Vegas Raiders, the Miami Dolphins released their unofficial depth chart Tuesday.

With kickoff still several days away, the list is still subject to change, but a few things immediately stood out, most notably second-year safety Dante Trader Jr. being listed as a starter alongside free agent pick-up Zayne Anderson and seemingly beating out rookie fifth-round pick Michael Taaffe.

All three safeties played in the preseason finale against the Atlanta Falcons, and it was Taaffe who started alongside Anderson. Trader, who missed practice time earlier in training camp, played 21 defensive snaps that night, compared to eight for the other two.

Trader Gets First Crack at Safety

A fifth-round pick in 2025, Trader appeared in all 17 games as a rookie while making three starts, finishing with 51 tackles, one pass defended and one forced fumble.

He was graded rather unevenly during his first season, but there was plenty of opportunity at the position after Miami moved on from last year’s primary starters, Minkah Fitzpatrick and Ashtyn Davis.

Pro Football Focus gave him a 59.0 overall grade and 52.8 coverage grade, but he was much better against the run, earning an 80.2 run-defense grade that ranked 13th among qualified safeties.

The Maryland product entered the offseason as the early favorite to start opposite Anderson.

Taaffe is listed second on the new depth chart behind Anderson, while Louis and recent waiver wire pick-up Julius Wood follow Trader.

Wallace Emerges as Utility Backup

Miami seems comfortable using Caedan Wallace as its primary insurance on the entire right side of the offensive line.

Wallace is listed as the first backup to Jonah Savaiinaea at right guard and Austin Jackson at right tackle, while rookie DJ Campbell is third at right guard.

The Dolphins acquired Wallace from New England on August 10 after the Patriots selected him in the third round of the 2024 draft. He appeared in only four games and played eight offensive snaps last season, earning a 72.9 overall PFF grade, including a 77.8 pass-blocking grade, although the sample size was far too small for him to qualify among guards.

Rookies Earn First-Team Designations

Six Dolphins rookies landed first-team spots on the unofficial depth chart, led by receivers Caleb Douglas and Chris Bell and nickel cornerback Chris Johnson.

It should be noted, however, that the Dolphins list 12 first-team players on offense, with one running back, one fullback, one tight end and three wide receivers, to go along with QB Malik Willis and the five offensive linemen.

Along with Douglas, Bell and Johnson, the first-team rookies on the new depth chart are guard Kadyn Proctor, fullback DJ Herman, linebacker Jacob Rodriguez and

During Douglas’ senior season at Texas Tech, he earned a Second-team All-Big 12 nod while hauling in 54 passes for 846 yards and seven touchdowns, while Bell was a First-team All-ACC selection after finishing his senior season at Louisville with 72 receptions for 917 yards and six touchdowns. Both were third-round selections in April.

Johnson is listed as Miami’s starting nickel ahead of Reese Taylor after making noticeable strides while working with the first-team defense throughout training camp.

Fifth-round rookie Kevin Coleman Jr. didn’t crack the starting receiver group after a solid camp, but he is listed directly behind Malik Washington at receiver and again as Washington’s backup at punt returner.

At Missouri, Coleman earned SEC Special Teams Player of the Week after returning a punt 67 yards for a touchdown in the fourth quarter of a 31-17 win over Arkansas.

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