Controversial Former Dolphins Safety Gets New Extension

A controversial former member of the Miami Dolphins signed an extension on Monday night.

Safety DeShon Elliott signed a two-year, $12.5 million extension, including $9.21 million in guarantees, with the Pittsburgh Steelers. He played one season with the Dolphins (2023), starting 15 games and recording seven passes defended and one interception. 

However, Elliott is probably best known in South Florida for his comments after he left the team. 

The former safety called the Dolphins “soft as f––” and added that the team didn’t have the right mental mindset to compete. 

“There were some guys who were tough, but the majority of the [Dolphins] were not mentally tough individuals,” Elliott said on The Punch Line podcast last season. “So to be on a team with a full team of mentally tough guys going against a mentally tough team ... this is going to be fun.”

How Elliott’s Words Made an Impact 

Although it would be absurd to suggest that Elliott’s comments specifically forced the Dolphins to make changes, it’s clear they’re taking the “soft” narrative seriously this season. 

The team’s roster got a pretty big overhaul, which is still underway, given the trade discussions centered around Jalen Ramsey and Jonnu Smith. 

Elliott was last on the team in 2023, so things look much different than the last time he played for the Dolphins. Ironically, the most significant change is the team’s secondary. 

If you count slot cornerback as a starting spot (you should) and assume Ramsey will be traded, then Miami will have four new starters (two cornerbacks, two safeties). The Dolphins could probably use Elliott, who would easily be a starter in the current safety room. 

Upfront, the Dolphins spent three draft picks on interior defensive linemen who weigh at least 330 pounds. Kenneth Grant, Jordan Phillips, and Zeek Biggers are all players known for their physicality, too.   

On offense, the Dolphins added bigger guards in James Daniels and Jonah Savaiinaea, two players with a lot more physicality than Liam Eichenberg and Robert Jones. 

Even smaller moves like signing a bunch of bigger receivers like Nick Westbrook-Ikhine and UDFAs Andrew Armstrong and Theo Wease Jr. show that the Dolphins are trying to shake the “soft” narrative this season. 

We’ll have to see if anything around Miami’s culture shift sticks during the season, but Elliott’s words and the narrative they fueled did not fall on deaf ears.