Miami Dolphins lose DT Jenkins bring back DB Bethel

The Miami Dolphins brought back one of their own on Friday but lost a big part of their defense as well.

Defensive tackle John Jenkins has agreed to terms on a deal with the Las Vegas Raiders leaving the Dolphins will a depth hole along their defensive front.

Miami will need to address this at some point as they will enter the 2023 season with Christian Wilkins, Zach Sieler, and Raekwon Davis as their top three defensive tackles.

Jenkins was a good rotational fit on Miami’s defense and without him, the Dolphins will have to find another player to fill the hole.

Miami currently has Jaylen Twyman and Josiah Bronson on their roster as well. Bronson has two years of NFL experience while Twyman has one. Bronson was on Miami’s practice squad last season.

While Miami may have lost Jenkins, they re-signed Justin Bethel to add depth to the secondary and a special teams contributor.

Bethel has been in the league since 2012, had three Pro Bowl seasons from 2013 to 2015, and will enter his 13 years in the NFL in 2023.

Last year was Bethel’s first and only season with the Dolphins after six years in Arizona to start his career, then a short stint with the Ravens and Patriots in 2019 that saw him spend the last two seasons with the Patriots prior to joining Miami.

Bethel provides the depth Miami needs in the secondary but his value now is more on special teams where he took 83% of snaps in 2022 compared to 11% on defense.