The Miami Dolphins really cleaned house this offseason. New general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan and his scouting department were ruthless about getting rid of core players from last year's team. Sullivan also signed a bunch of one-year stopgap free agents to put some roster incumbents in danger of missing the final cut.
That's what we're zeroing in on here. The carnage from Sullivan's roster purge is far from finished. Any depth player from last season's squad should be sweating in training camp. And not just from the on-field activity.
Here are a few less-utilized Chris Grier holdovers who Sullivan could boot out of Miami, in part to make way for the Dolphins' 13-member rookie class and overall radical youth movement.
3 Miami Dolphins who need a big training camp to make it through final cuts
New regime threatens Ethan Bonner’s Dolphins roster spot
While it's possible that Ethan Bonner could suddenly break out into a starting-caliber player in his fourth NFL season, that seems like wishful thinking. If Sullivan or the Jeff Hafley-led coaching staff believed that much in Bonner, they wouldn't have sought out so many acquisitions at the cornerback position.
Beyond trading up to draft Chris Johnson in the first round, Sullivan signed Darrell Baker Jr., Alex Austin, and Marco Wilson in free agency. Baker started 25 games over the last three years, Austin was just with the Patriots for the past few seasons, and Wilson is legitimately one of the freakiest athletes in the entire league.
Oh, and Bonner has to contend with a former second-round pick in JuJu Brents, who should have the inside track for the Dolphins' CB2 job opposite Johnson. Even tenured Miami corner Storm Duck has seen far more action on defense than Bonner ever has.
It's not like cornerback was a great position for the Dolphins in recent years. They were always fighting to plug that hole. Jalen Ramsey's injury-addled two-season run only went so far.
One saving grace for Bonner's roster case is the fact that Baker and Duck are on the PUP list to start training camp. Nevertheless, it's easy to see how Sullivan and Co. could send Bonner packing.
Dolphins WR crunch makes Tahj Washington a roster long shot
I quite liked Tahj Washington when he was coming out of USC. During his last year with the Trojans, the diminutive playmaker racked up 1,062 receiving yards on just 59 catches (18 yards per catch) and eight TDs. Suppose it pays to play with Caleb Williams, eh?
Unfortunately, Washington had to wait until the seventh round for Miami to call his name in the 2024 draft. It's been an uphill battle to NFL relevancy the whole way for him. His rookie season was lost to a lower-leg injury. He had three catches for 37 yards and a lost fumble in 2025.
Once the Dolphins decided they weren't keeping Tyreek Hill and trade speculation swirled around Jaylen Waddle before he moved to Denver, Washington might've had a chance at a larger role this coming year.
Alas, Sullivan nipped that notion in the bud long with this flurry of wide receiver transactions:
- Signed Jalen Tolbert, TuTu Atwell, and Terrace Marshall Jr. in free agency
- Drafted Caleb Douglas, Chris Bell, and Kevin Coleman Jr.
I respectfully refuse to count Jalen Reagor as a bullet point-worthy free-agent pickup.
Bell is inactive at the dawn of camp as he continues rehabbing from a torn ACL. Just about all those other names, perhaps with the exception of Marshall Jr., will get more quality reps than Washington.
It's up to Washington to make the absolute most of the preseason in whatever little opportunities he gets. He also has Malik Washington to contend with for snaps in the slot.
Maybe Tahj Washington can catch on somewhere else. His long odds to make the Dolphins' 53-man roster are more reflective of a numbers game than an indictment of his innate abilities.
Offseason moves push Cameron Goode to Dolphins roster bubble
Speaking of a flurry of moves, the Dolphins' new brass, for all intents and purposes, buried Cameron Goode on the depth chart at defensive end.
Goode is technically listed as a linebacker, but that's only because Miami is in the process of transitioning to more of a base 4-3 look from the 3-4 formations of yesteryear. And whether Goode is more of a hybrid role or not, there are a lot of new faces across the front seven.
The Fins may deploy linebacker-nickel-safety hybrid rookie Kyle Louis anywhere on the field. Louis' fellow fourth-round draftee, Trey Moore, is transitioning from off-ball linebacker back to the edge.
Chop Robinson is the clear starter at one defensive end spot. Who's opposite him is up for debate. It figures to be a makeshift platoon amongst unheralded players like Josh Uche, David Ojabo, Moore, and Robert Beal Jr.
It's hard to see a path for Goode to stick on the roster with no fewer than four new additions to compete with him.
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