Not a whole lot went right for the Miami Dolphins in 2025. The high-flying offensive attack that was once the source of league envy was relegated to a mediocre operation that didn't strike fear in anyone, much less an NFL defense. As fate would have it, there was an emerging superstar on the other side of the ball about to make his presence felt.
Jordyn Brooks was no slouch before 2025 — in fact, he was far from it. The 28-year-old was originally a first-round pick of the Seattle Seahawks in 2020. He joined the Dolphins as a free agent and stuffed the stat sheet to the tune of 143 tackles, 11 tackles for loss, 3.0 sacks, and a pair of fumble recoveries in 2024.
In 2025, he turned things up a notch or 10. Brooks totaled a league-leading 183 tackles, 13 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks, a forced fumble, and a recovery. The NFL Pro Bowl's voting system proved flawed, as Brooks was snubbed from the event. Thankfully, the Associated Press proved sensible and still crowned him with the single greatest individual accolade a player can receive: First-Team All-Pro. After a season like that, you would think the critics would pipe down.
Recent developments show there's still some sleeping on the Miami Dolphins' defensive captain, Jordyn Brooks
Let's start with the fine folks over at EA Sports. The makers of the Madden video game released their preliminary ratings last week, and fans thought there must've been a mistake when Brooks wasn't rated among the top 10 off-ball linebackers in the NFL. In fact, his 84 overall rating ranked in a three-way tie for 14th. The First-Team All-Pro having 16 players considered better or equal to him feels wrong. That's because it is.
Then there's Bleacher Report. In their annual B/R NFL 1000 rankings, Brooks fared slightly better, landing ninth among his counterparts at the position. Still, there is a clear downplaying of the season he just put together going on here. We also checked to make sure, and no, playing for the Dolphins doesn't immediately make your accomplishments less than those of league counterparts.
Brooks very well may be the best run-defending linebacker in the NFL. In 2025, Brooks had his tackles broken or missed them outright 9.9% of the time, according to Sports Info Solutions. That fared better than any of the eight linebackers ranked above him by Bleacher Report, save for Bobby Wagner. His average tackle depth of 2.2 yards tied for the best of the bunch, too, with the Green Bay Packers' Edgerrin Cooper and the New Orleans Saints' Kaden Elliss.
The man is a brick wall near the line of scrimmage that proves extremely difficult to get past. If he has one hole in his game, it's in pass coverage. His 109.9 passer rating surrendered was the worst of the top nine, though that shouldn't be enough to discount the force he was in the run game. If you're going to allow the reception, making the stop mitigates the damage. Some of those ranked ahead of Brooks, namely Elliss and Cooper, missed tackles at nearly double the rate — 18.2% and 17.5%, respectively.
Dolphins fans don't need anyone to tell them the value Jordyn Brooks brings to the field. He is the consummate field general: dependable, tough as nails, and nearly impenetrable. If NFL media want to keep sleeping on him, they shouldn't feign shock when he proves himself to be in the upper echelon all over again in 2026.
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