Miami Dolphins 2025 roster, depth chart: 3 underrated players

Usually talking, skilled organizations that discuss rather a lot abut “tradition” don’t have sufficient of the correct within the constructing. That would appear to use to the Miami Dolphins of late, a franchise that has needed to take care of greater than its share of veterans sad with the methods through which issues have been going, and a few to the purpose the place they need out of city outright.

Tyreek Hill needed to deny his personal fairly pointed statements about wanting a commerce again in January, and now, Hill is lobbying the group to keep away from buying and selling cornerback Jalen Ramsey. Earlier this month, edge-rusher Bradley Chubb mentioned that the group was not fully aboveboard when talking of a tradition change in 2024.

“I’m going to say final 12 months, we had been mendacity, actually,” Chubb mentioned with fun. “Level clean, interval. We felt it. We put our toe within the water, however we didn’t dive all the best way in. We didn’t get all the best way there with one another. We weren’t making the hassle to go the additional mile, and I’d say this 12 months, we’re doing that. I’m undecided the way it’s going to end up for us, however we’re placing forth that foot to alter it as a result of final 12 months, like I mentioned, we mentioned we wished to alter, yeah, we’re doing this, we’re doing that — but it surely’s not going precisely how we wish to.

“However this 12 months, I really feel like all people has the best mindset and shifting ahead, so if it really works out, it’s going to work out. If it doesn’t, we’re going to get again to the drafting board and ensure it really works out.”

That’s the intangible stuff. The tangible stuff quantities to the 2024 season being the primary missed postseason underneath head coach Mike McDaniel, and the whole lot fell a bit off the plank when it got here to each offensive and defensive effectivity. There are those that would say that the NFL has figured these Dolphins out from an offensive perspective; these wanting on the brighter facet may insist that when everybody’s wholesome, it’s rather a lot more durable to suss out what any group is doing.

“It could have been superior if he would have advised me on the entrance finish after they had been mendacity,” McDaniel mentioned on June 12 of Chubb’s feedback. “Past that, 2024, until I’m utilizing it immediately for an analogy, I’m way more involved with 2025. I believe you do much more for the group when you spend your time considering ahead by way of not this, that, or the opposite, or whose fault it was. No, we would like it like this, let’s do it like this and that is who we’re. I don’t even – what 12 months did you converse of? I suppose I’ll examine that in historical past books.”

Nicely, if the 2025 Dolphins are to get previous final season’s disappointments, it’ll take all the roster to get that achieved. Within the continuation of our “Hidden Gems” collection, the place we take a look at one Secret Celebrity veteran, free-agent signing, and draft decide for each NFL group, we flip our consideration to those Dolphins, and the under-the-radar guys who may assist make issues higher.

Underrated Veteran: TE Jonnu Smith

Within the 2023 season, solely the Los Angeles Rams (5%) had a decrease fee of 12 personnel (one operating again, two tight ends, two receivers) than the Dolphins did at 9%. Within the 2024 season, that ramped as much as 21%, which was way more in the course of the league’s multi-tight finish percentages. The first purpose for this sea change was the acquisition of former Tennessee Titans, New England Patriots, and Atlanta Falcons tight finish Jonnu Smith on a two-year, $8.4 million contract with $3.96 million assured, and one other $1.6 million accessible in incentives.

Whereas all of the targets round him had been coping with accidents, Smith led the Dolphins with 88 catches on 109 targets for 886 yards and eight touchdowns. It was Smith’s best season so far — not unhealthy for a man who’s been within the league since 2017, when the Titans chosen him with the a centesimal general decide within the third spherical of the draft out of Florida Worldwide.

Now, Smith needs a reworked deal, and that has added his title to the checklist of the fellows who could also be on the fallacious facet of Miami. Although in Smith’s case, it’s reportedly not of his personal volition.

If you rank fifth in targets in a season amongst tight ends, fourth in receptions, fifth in receiving yards, and also you’re tied for second in landing catches with Sam LaPorta, Zach Ertz, and George Kittle, however you rank thirty second at your place in common annual wage, you in all probability have some extent.

“Jonnu is an important participant and individual to me and to the fellows,” McDaniel mentioned on June 3, as Smith was holding out from minicamp. “One factor that we will stand on is his professionalism and the way he goes about his enterprise. There’s instances that enterprise can play an element, for positive, and a group could make it as difficult as they want. If they’ve a variety of time to deal with what’s occurring with Jonnu, I’d encourage them to deal with their very own sport. Happily, I haven’t needed to have these conversations. Guys have been very targeted on what they’ll do in the present day to get higher for the Miami Dolphins group.

“No matter my emotions, my hope – I haven’t actually thought of something aside from I would like Jonnu on the group. I believe he needs to be right here, and so my expertise with enterprise is you let that play out. In that point, Jonnu is relying on me to deal with the gamers that I’ve the power to teach and affect, in order that’s the place I’m at.”

We’ll see if that’s the place all people is at. What we do know is that as bizarre as Miami’s offense could possibly be at instances final season, it could have been rather a lot weirder with out Smith’s presence.

Underrated Free-Agent Signing: WR Nick Westbrook-Ikhine

Talking of former Titans pass-catchers, there’s the addition of Nick Westbrook-Ikhine to the Dolphins’ receiver room on a two-year, $6.5 million contract with $3.2 million assured. This might current a large subject for enemy go defenses, as a result of when you’ve gotten Westbrook-Ikhine, Hill, and Jaylen Waddle on the sector on the identical time, it’s not nearly who you permit one-on-one — it’s additionally about which receiver will scald the asses of your cornerbacks and safeties with their pure velocity.

Whereas Hill and Waddle are smaller receivers, Westbrook-Ikhine clocks in at 6’2 and 215 kilos, although that doesn’t cease him in any respect from being a ridiculous vertical menace. Final season for the Titans, Westbrook-Ikhine had 4 catches of 20 or extra air yards on eight targets for 197 yards and three touchdowns. Spectacular sufficient by itself, however whenever you put up these sorts of numbers and tape with Will Levis and Mason Rudolph as your quarterbacks… properly, you get bonus factors for that.

Furthermore, Westbrook-Ikhine likes to get dirty within the run sport as a blocker — at his introductory presser after signing his new contract, that was extra some extent of focus than even the vertical stuff.

“It’s a gritty sport,” he mentioned. “I really feel like with broad receiver blocking, you’ve simply received to get soiled, you’ve received to discover a approach to make it work. It’s not going to look fairly half the time. You’ve received actually athletic DBs, safeties, linebackers, d-ends typically and it’s simply discovering a approach to get a bit of them on the proper time so the again can get by. So yeah, it’s one thing I’m excited to do. I’ve at all times loved blocking and as a receiver. I really feel prefer it’s a misplaced artwork. I’ve fortunately been coached fairly properly in the previous few years about it, and easy methods to get it achieved.”

Westbrook-Ikhine additionally mentioned that he likes to field defenders out and win contested-catch conditions as a bigger-bodied receiver. The tape additionally confirms this, so what’s to not like?

Underrated Draft Choose: DI Jordan Phillips

There was no query in any way that going into the draft, common supervisor Chris Grier and defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver had been on the identical web page about getting greater and extra bodily alongside the inside of the defensive position. That’s why they took Michigan megadude Kenneth Grant with the thirteenth decide within the first spherical, and when you had any questions on this explicit philosophy… I imply, they took Georgia Tech’s Zeek Biggers with the 255th decide within the seventh spherical, and whenever you take a 6’6, 320-pound man with a final title like that, how way more clear do you have to be?

The attention-grabbing man right here, although, could possibly be Maryland’s Jordan Phillips, the 6’3, 320-pound sort out they took with the 143rd general decide within the fifth spherical. Phillips might have been an underrated power as a result of he by no means had a sack in three seasons and 1,045 defensive snaps with the Terps, however there’s much more to the tape than it’s possible you’ll suppose when you’re basing his potential NFL oeuvre on nothing however quarterback takedowns.

Final season, Phillips did have 5 quarterback hits, 11 quarterback hurries, 26 solo tackles, and 20 stops, and if he hadn’t been double-teamed on 266 of his 520 snaps final season, possibly his numbers would have been higher. As an alternative Phillips was tasked to be a kind of linemen who soak issues as much as make life simpler for everyone else, and he did that with an excessive amount of aplomb. Even when doubled as a head-over or shade nostril sort out (the place he performed 71% of his snaps in 2024), Phillips nonetheless discovered methods to get to the pocket with leverage, quickness, and all-out effort.

When Phillips hit Shrine Bowl week, he did the whole lot doable to face out. The Dolphins paid consideration.

“With Jordan, one factor is [that] he’s a very good run stopper, run participant,” Grier mentioned of the decide. “So what he was requested to do for them, he excelled in what he may do. We had a few of our coaches work on the East-West sport, he was there, and actually confirmed some stuff within the go rush with completely different stances and completely different strategies he was being taught down there. So for us, we had been excited watching thatI know Coach Weaver was the primary one who got here to us, and [defensive line coach] Austin [Clark] had been like, ‘Hey, watch this from the East-West and what he was doing.’ He’s 20 years outdated, has an unbelievable love for soccer, so we do suppose there’s some issues we will unlock with him.”

Phillips can also be a tape fiend who loves to review different inside maulers. Not solely was he greater than aware of Kenneth Grant’s tape by the point he was drafted, he’d additionally achieved work on one other defensive sort out named Jordan Phillips, who was chosen within the second spherical of the 2015 draft by the Dolphins, and performed for the group till he was waived following a beef about taking part in time in 2018.

“Sure,” the brand new Jordan Phillips mentioned when requested whether or not he had studied his same-name consultant. “Completely. So one factor about me, I examine each D-tackle that’s like… by way of being on the high of their sport, I examine each nice D-tackle. And even all several types of D-tackles within the league and I’ve watched Jordan Phillips, as a matter of reality. I watched him early on in his profession when he was with the Dolphins after which when he went to the Cardinals after which now the Payments. He’s [a] bodily, actual good run stopper. He will get after it fairly good, and he’s a 10-plus-year vet, in order that’s nice.”

If this Jordan Phillips is ready to match the opposite Jordan Phillips’ 27 sacks, 169 whole pressures, 123 solo tackles, and 114 stops in his personal 10-year profession… properly, that’s a reasonably candy deal for a fifth-round decide.

(All superior metrics courtesy of Professional Soccer Focus and Sports activities Data Options).