Fresh off of handing De'Von Achane a massive contract extension, the Miami Dolphins continued their roster construction on Thursday, albeit not as news-shattering.
In lighter news, the Dolphins claimed defensive tackle James Ester off waivers from (stop me if you heard this before) the Green Bay Packers. Ester's acquisition becomes the latest small move made by general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan in his constant quest for roster construction.
Ester also joins the growing list of former Packers to make the move down to Miami to form a somewhat "Green Bay South." The fact that Sullivan and head coach Jeff Hafley have some experience with Ester, though, should give Dolphins fans some form of optimism with this move.
Miami Dolphins claim DT James Ester off waivers from Packers
Ester entered the NFL in 2024 undrafted out of Northern Illinois. He was signed by the Packers at that time, but has yet to play a regular-season down at the professional level. No doubt playing at a smaller school with a lighter frame (~290 pounds) has limited Ester's development in the NFL to some degree. Nonetheless, he's spent his NFL tenure around Hafley and Sullivan, and that should mean something.
Right now, Miami is a land of opportunity for young guys to develop and for other veterans to prove their worth. So while Ester may be viewed as nothing more than a camp body at this moment, he'll get every opportunity to prove he's worth more than that.
On some level, Hafley and Sullivan see that, which is why they jumped on claiming him after Green Bay made the move to release Ester. Ester spent five seasons at Northern Illinois, totaling 121 tackles in that time. In his last two seasons with the Huskies, he totaled six sacks, 12.5 tackles for loss, and added the lone interception of his career in 2022, which he returned for a touchdown.
Notably, the Dolphins' last regime drafted three defensive tackles in 2025, including Kenneth Grant with their first-round selection. None of them, however, truly stood out, with fifth-rounder Jordan Phillips arguably emerging from the field and outplaying his draft stock.
It was rumored that the new regime could look to draft DT again (and high) in this past draft cycle. That didn't happen, but Miami did add Rene Konga and Kahlil Saunders as undrafted free agents shortly after the draft process. Both have a legitimate shot at making the final 53-man roster.
Sullivan has been all about adding competition, and adding Ester to the fray only encourages that. The young DT should be thrilled with the move, as he'll get ample opportunity to prove his worth as a rotational piece. And by being surrounded with familiarity, this could be Ester's best opportunity at landing on an NFL roster.
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