Training camp is designed to get players ready for the start of the rigorous NFL season, and it also serves as a period of time where leaders emerge in the locker room and on the field.
The Miami Dolphins want a culture change, but that has to start at the top. They need leaders who won't quit, and they need veterans who will hold other players accountable. On the offensive side of the ball, that has to be Tua Tagovailoa. On defense, there is one player who needs to stand above the others and take control.
Jordyn Brooks.
Last year, the Dolphins suffered an ugly loss to the Green Bay Packers. It was cold, and the Dolphins don't play well in cold weather. In the locker room after the game, Brooks called the team soft. He wasn't lying, and he wasn't the first player to say it.
"I feel like we let the elements control the way that we played. I thought we were soft. Simple as that. I thought we were soft today," Brooks said after the Dolphins' loss at Lambeau Field. "I don't know if guys were too cold. I don't know what it was."
Dolphins need Jordyn Brooks to become more than just a starting linebacker
This season will be Brooks' second with the Dolphins, and it is time for him to take the post-game comments to the locker room. Brooks has to emerge as the leader on defense.
Considering the state of the Miami secondary, despite the addition of Minkah Fitzpatrick, and the youth at defensive tackle, Brooks and Zach Sieler are the two guys players need to listen to. Brooks has a better vision of the field from the snap of the ball to the evolution of the play. His voice needs to be the loudest.
Together, they can make a difference, but Brooks has to be the one directing traffic. It would be great to see Bradley Chubb take on a more vocal leadership role. The Dolphins hope Chubb and Jaelan Phillips can stay healthy.
Brooks doesn't need to push those veterans, but he needs to be the guy Kenneth Grant is hearing in his helmet should he line up wrong or miss a tackle.
The Dolphins need more leaders, and Brooks can be one of them.