The Miami Dolphins are experiencing significant roster turnover. Their “stars and scrubs” roster construction of the past put them up against the cap. Thus came the departure of talented players like Jevon Holland, Kendall Fuller, and Calais Campbell.
Miami had the oldest roster in the NFL in 2024. Now, they’ve positioned their roster to feature young guns in prominent roles this season. Here are a few of Miami’s youngest key cast members in 2025.
Storm Duck
Miami’s 2024 UDFA signing appeared in 14 games in 2024, all of which were opposite Jalen Ramsey. However, the latter (one of Miami’s most decorated players), is likely on his way out ahead of the upcoming season. This leaves Duck as the team’s CB1, which might be the biggest question mark on the roster.
Listed at six feet and 195 pounds, he doesn’t have the most imposing build. Despite this, Storm Duck’s physicality stood out in year one. While there were certainly bumps and bruises, Miami’s coolest name worked into the rotation early. His immediate flashes of run support and press coverage are two skills the team will certainly need, regardless of the resolution of the Ramsey situation.
Jaylen Wright
Perhaps the biggest wild card on Miami’s offense, Jaylen Wright, looked promising in minimal opportunities last season. The 2024 fourth-round pick was in a crowded backfield that featured the likes of Devon Achane, Raheem Mostert, and Jeff Wilson. Now, the last two are gone. Thus, Wright could fill a similar role to Mostert in 2023. It’s possible he works as the downhill, between-the-tackles slasher, who can spell Achane and give him more opportunities as a receiver.
Wright’s most promising attribute, outside of his speed, might just be the way he differs from Achane. While both have the ability to hit a home run, Wright is 22 pounds heavier than Miami’s lead back. This, combined with flashes of north-south rushing ability and above-average contact balance, gives Miami a promising running mate who may see the bulk of the inside-rushing attempts.
watching Jaylen Wright keep this close to the vest (and try to get inside of Liam's block), then watch him seal off the outside and get vertical so easily is SPECIAL STUFF pic.twitter.com/aFPn5dCrHd
— Tyler DeSena (@desena_tyler) November 14, 2024
Patrick Paul
Patrick Paul also makes an argument for the biggest wild card, both in potential impact and in literal size. The 6’7”, 332-pound tackle is a mammoth of a man, and is in line to be Miami’s starting left tackle with the retirement of Terron Armstead. The Dolphins were proactive in selecting Paul. In 2024, they invested a second-round pick in him with Armstead still on the roster. Thus, they’ve had a year to work with him on refining his game.
The biggest question with Paul? Is he a tackle, or just an athlete? His stature and movement skills made for some highlight plays when he was in the lineup. However, the warts in technique are scary enough to make or break this unit.
Julian Hill
From under-the-radar UDFA to the scapegoat for many of Miami’s 2024 offensive struggles, Julian Hill is set to be a significant piece of this year’s team. The team has been in talks to trade Jonnu Smith. Regardless of the result, this signals a shift in the team’s offensive philosophy. Smith is a 12-personnel tight end. He dominated last year without being tasked with being a crucial part of the blocking scheme. However, a potential trade, combined with the capital spent on players like Jaylen Wright, Malik Washington, and Nick Westbrook Ikhine, foreshadow a potential shift back to more 11 and 21 personnel. This isn’t Jonnu’s strong suit.
Mike McDaniel’s pet project, on the other hand, has the ceiling to be an in-line tight end. Hill’s usage in both 2023 and 2024 was similar, but the results were vastly different. The flashes that were there in year one largely disappeared, and Miami was left unsatisfied. This led to the signing of Pharaoh Brown this offseason. However, Hill is still a cost-effective option with an intriguing athletic profile who will be 25 at the start of the season. I wouldn’t be shocked if he takes his incumbency advantage and turns it into significant snaps in 2025.
The Rookies
I’m going to cheat a little for this last spot, as there is a real chance that every rookie Miami selected plays snaps for the team this year. I was originally going to pick the obvious answers in Kenneth Grant and Jonah Savaiinaea, but players like Jordan Phillips and Jason Marshall are almost certainly seeing significant reps. Even late picks Ollie Gordon, Quinn Ewers, and Zeke Biggers are an injury away from having to contribute.
It’s safe to say that the first two picks, Grant and Savaiinaea, are most likely to succeed. Grant’s combination of size, quickness, and flashes of pass rush technique gives him an exciting ceiling. Savaiinaea is a similar story: a punisher who played several spots, and could be a road grader for Miami’s run game. However, Jordan Phillips lit up the Shrine Bowl, Jason Marshall and Quinn Ewers were both highly touted high schoolers, and Ollie Gordon and Zeke Biggers both stuffed the stat sheet at different points in their careers.
The bottom line is that Miami has substantially more young players fighting for roles this season. Players like Isaiah Johnson, whom I didn’t mention, were camp favorites last year, and could have a bigger role than players who made this list.
Miami needs these contributions. This roster is designed to generate surplus value at a few positions, and if it does, we could be looking at a better result than in years past.
