As NFL fans of every team eagerly await the upcoming roster additions coming from free agency and the draft, Dolfans are certainly no different. In fact, this offseason has a lot of intrigue, with some suggesting that Mike McDaniel and Chris Grier go “all-in” with a reckless approach toward the future because they are both considered to be on the hot seat entering 2025. Others in the fan base want the team’s leadership brass to take a more strategic and measured approach which both addresses current needs while placing a premium on providing the team with cap room, draft picks, and flexibility to move away from certain key expensive players like, Tyrek Hill, Tua Tagovailoa, and Jaylen Ramsey in the not-so-distant future.
While the fan base looks towards the coming new roster additions to the team, I thought I would highlight several players currently on the team under contract or awaiting a contract who could potentially turn into contributors next season and beyond.
The Crew of Secondary Hopefuls
One of the position groups on the team with a lot of youth, talent, and potential is the secondary, specifically the cornerbacks. Ethan Bonner, maybe the fastest player on the Dolphins, showed a lot of promise in 2023 before being inactive for most of 2024. Not only did Bonner show value on special teams, but he flashed in some regular game action as well, including the wildcard game in Kansas City.
Next on the list are Storm Duck, Isaiah Johnson, and Jason Maitre. We all saw Storm Duck get thrust into action in 2024, and overall, he looked OK, which is not too bad for an undrafted free agent. Duck boasts an impressive body frame, position strength, smoothness in pursuing receiver route,s and can find the football in coverage. Isaiah Johnson is another big physical cornerback who can make tackles and shed blocks, while Jason Maitre is an impressive athlete who flashed during minicamps last year. Both Johnson and Maitre were impressive in the preseason and were kept around by the Dolphins for most of 2024 on the practice squad. Subsequently, both received a futures contract back in January of this year.
Finally, there is Patrick McMorris. Consider that Miami thought highly enough of him to not only keep him on the roster, but also bring him back from injured reserve after drafting the California standout in the sixth round of the 2024 draft.
The Speedy Wide Receiver Club
Obviously, the Miami Dolphins wide receiver room starts and ends with Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle. In addition, Malik Washington showed enough promise to warrant a significant snap count and target volume in 2025. But the position group also boasts a few other impressive candidates, such as Dee Eskridge, Erik Ezukanma, Anthony Schwartz and Taj Washington.
Schwartz has already flashed in the NFL with the Browns and has a good working relationship with Tua from before coming to the Dolphins. Unfortunately, his 2024 season was cut short in the summer with a season-ending injury. Dee Eskridge is a former second-round pick who excelled in return duties and made a few splash plays as a receiver. I for one was very intrigued with his skillset in limited snaps last year.
We never really got to see much of Taj Washington in 2024, but he was a consistent playmaker at USC and was Caleb Williams’ favorite target downfield. Finally, although thus far he has been disappointing since being drafted in the fourth round of the 2022 draft, Erik Ezukanma has the body type and skill-set to be a highly productive player in Mike McDaniel’s offense. We have already seen McDaniel use him in a similar way to how Deebo Samuel was used on reverses and pitches in San Francisco.
Potential Backup & Swing Offensive Linemen
While the offensive line has become the pariah for this team over the last few seasons, believe it or not—there are a few promising players on this unit as well, like Braeden Daniels, Chasen Hines, Andrew Meyer, and Kion Smith. Daniels is a former fourth-round pick from 2023 who is projected to be a good backup with potential for development into a starter. He has position versatility for guard or tackle and is extremely athletic and quick. Chasen Hines was a sixth-round pick of the New England Patriots in the 2022 draft out of LSU who was considered a strong center/guard prospect capable of excelling in a power-based rushing attack. Hines was considered to have value as a backup with potential for developing into a starting interior offensive line member.
Andrew Meyer was an undrafted prospect out of UTEP who the Miami Dolphins thought highly enough of to keep on the active roster for the entire 2024 season. Meyer has the speed and intelligence to excel in McDaniel’s quick passing outside zone offense. Kion Smith played in nine games during the 2023 season and has always shown promise. In addition, he has the versatility to play guard or offensive tackle. According to Chris Grier, teams had called about trading for Kion Smith in the past—so perhaps that is in part why Miami has already tendered him.
A Trio of Pass Rushers
Hopefully, the 2025 Dolphins roster will be able to showcase Jalen Phillips, Bradley Chubb, and Chop Robinson. Despite that frontline talent, there are a trio of youngsters on the roster who may be able to contribute on the defensive line or edge. Cameron Goode has already been tendered by the team and displays a burst and motor that is reminiscent of Andrew Van Ginkel. Goode is a special teams mainstay, but I believe there may be more meat on the bone there based on his collegiate performance and athletic prowess. And then there is last year’s fifth-round pick, Mohammed Kamara, who had 28 sacks in his last three seasons at Colorado State and flashed in the limited playing time he received in his rookie season with the Dolphins. And finally, we have Grayson Murphy, who looked fantastic and dynamic during last year’s mini camps and preseason. Unfortunately, Murphy ended up on injured reserve but should be primed for a return this year.
An Intriguing Tight-End
The Dolphins have their receiving threat for tight end in Jonnu Smith, who ended up making the Pro Bowl as an alternate after having his best season as a pro. But the Dolphins still lack that tight end who can block like a monster while displaying smooth receiving skills with run-after-catch ability. Enter Hayden Rucci out of Wisconsin—who has displayed that dual role threat reminiscent of Green Bay Packers tight end Tucker Kraft. Rucci is a player to watch closely if the Dolphins do not draft a tight end in this year’s draft before round six.
Not all the players mentioned in this article will be contributors, but there are some potential pieces here that are worth keeping a close eye on. These guys could end up supplementing a roster which already has pretty good topflight talent to ensure there is depth and quality players across the team for a deep playoff run.
