The Miami Dolphins have done their best to remove any trace of the prior regime's roster this offseason, but their lack of veteran leadership is equal parts glaring and ominous.
Not that the Jon-Eric Sullivan-Jeff Hafley tandem was expected to turn things around right away. However, if the Fins don't start piling up wins in relatively short order, soon-to-be-86-year-old owner Stephen Ross may lose patience sooner than he anticipated.
In the wake of Thursday's news from ESPN's Adam Schefter that the Indianapolis Colts released nickelback Kenny Moore, Miami should be blowing up his agent's phone to try to get him.
Released Colts CB Kenny Moore is just what the Miami Dolphins' young roster desperately needs
Thanks to 13 rookies from their draft class and the brutal removal of multiple core players, the Dolphins are indeed the youngest team in the NFL as of now.
Kenny Moore turns 31 in August, and unless Miami is expecting big things out of 2025 fifth-round pick Jason Marshall Jr., Moore would be an exponential upgrade at slot cornerback.
While it's good to get young players experience as soon as possible, there's a fine line for the Fins to walk in 2026. Their near-negligence of fielding proven star players on the roster could have these youngsters flailing all over the place. Hafley's staff can only push these cats so far. It helps to have vets who can lead by example and show them the way in live action, on the gridiron.
A lack of seasoned pros to guide the Fins' youth movement could stymie their collective development, and thus poison the well from Year 1 that Hafley and Sullivan are trying to purify.
There's a couple of other issues in Miami's prospective, pie-in-the-sky pursuit of Moore.
First off, selling him at this point in his career on what could be a horrible, losing situation for at least one full season will be a major challenge to pull off. Secondly, the Dolphins have fought tooth and nail to be cap-compliant for this year. They don't have much money to throw around, and in fact, per OverTheCap.com, they're about $8 million in the red in effective 2026 cap space.
Unless Moore is cool with a super back-loaded contract, it'll be tough for Miami to land him.
Perhaps Sullivan and Hafley can convince Moore that he'll be in line to flourish in 2027 once Miami has way more cap room to bolster the roster, and has another draft to really reshape the team.
One cool tie that might sway Moore to the Dolphins? His former teammate, oft-injured but uber-talented cornerback JuJu Brents, is still in the fold as of now. Perhaps Brents could convince Moore to join him.
In theory, with Moore at the nickel, and a healthy Brents and first-round pick Chris Johnson on the boundary, the Dolphins could all of a sudden have an excellent cornerback trio.
Crazier things have happened in the NFL, no? Miami needs a culture-setter in the secondary. They literally do not have one. Between Moore, Jordyn Brooks at linebacker, and Zach Sieler in the trenches, the Dolphins could have strong, captain-caliber forces of nature at every level of their defense.
Moore should at least be under strong consideration amongst the Dolphins brass. Not many free agents are worth pursuing at this point, especially given the cap situation, but Moore is an exception.
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