Miami Dolphins linebacker Jordyn Brooks is on the roster until further notice. That might seem like a no-brainer decision, but new general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan has had a full-blown offseason fire sale, so it feels as if no one is safe at any given time.
Brooks just played the best ball of his career in 2025, leading the NFL in tackles and earning a first-team All-Pro distinction. Too bad it was mostly in vain for a Miami team that crashed and burned to a 7-10 record.
...And now with a probably lengthy rebuild on the horizon, Brooks' reputation is taking something of a hit. He's used to delivering those in bunches on the gridiron. This is more like a bad waking nightmare of a reality check for where Miami is as an organization right now. As if Dolphins fans needed any more of that.
Jordyn Brooks taxed for Miami Dolphins' dreadful 2026 outlook in ESPN's linebacker rankings
A mass survey of NFL coaches, executives, and scouts compiled by ESPN's Jeremy Fowler is in the process of ranking the top 10 players in the league at each position. The latest up: off-ball linebackers. Brooks was considered, by the literal definition of his All-Pro honor, one of the best two off-ball linebackers in football during the 2025 campaign.
Mysterious, then, that Brooks only managed to rank seventh in ESPN's inside 'backer hierarchy. Here was the most relevant excerpt from Fowler's piece:
"His 5.9% run stop percentage topped all off-ball linebackers, and his 13 tackles for loss ranked second at his position last season. Brooks was the first Dolphins player to lead the NFL in tackles since Zach Thomas in 2006. 'Brooks has a skill set similar to Demario Davis when he was young -- really strong, fast, physical, can play in space, very good tackler,' an NFL coordinator said."
Although he had a peak ranking of No. 3 by at least one voter, some didn't have Brooks inside the top 10. Perhaps that's due to the fact that Brooks notoriously struggles in coverage, or at least he's far lesser in that department than in run defense, where he's beyond-reproach elite.
On the other hand, Brooks is such a sure tackler in space that when skill players or tight ends do beat him for a catch, they don't often get too far. Any linebacker who's exceptional in coverage, especially nowadays, is a freak of freaks. Not many Fred Warners growing on trees out there.
This lowly ranking for Brooks requires a very literal interpretation of Fowler's headline: "Execs, coaches rank top NFL off-ball linebackers for 2026." Key part there being for 2026.
Because yeah, the Dolphins are bound to be one of the league's worst teams. Their schedule is daunting. Their roster is barren of top-flight talent. Sunday Scaries are gonna be a real thing, Phin Phanatics. I'm sorry to say. Any glimpses of anything resembling a competitive team this season in Jeff Hafley's maiden voyage is just a bonus.
Hence why this ranking feels more like a projection for Brooks — and leans into the fact that Miami may be grooming his replacements already. After all, Brooks does hit free agency next offseason.
After contract extensions for tailback De'Von Achane and center Aaron Brewer, there may not be room for Brooks in the Dolphins' long-term plans.
Miami's draft strategy leaned into linebackers with coverage ability in Jacob Rodriguez (four INTs, six pass breakups in 2025) and Kyle Louis. The latter is likely to be deployed as a nickel-safety hybrid due to how crowded the linebacker corps is between Brooks, Rodriguez, and Tyrel Dodson.
That is, if Brooks isn't ultimately traded by the deadline.
If Brooks were in a winning situation, he'd be more of a household name and be far higher on the off-ball linebacker hierarchy. Alas, the stench of the Dolphins' impending 2026 doom is already starting to sting the ol' nostrils.
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