3 Miami Dolphins players who could breakout on defense in 2024

The Miami Dolphins will be sprouting a new-look defense due to all the departures and the hiring of new defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver. With that, the opportunity for some unheralded players to pop off and have breakout seasons is very possible.

As we continue to look at the state of the Dolphins from the perspective of under-the-radar players that are in a position to majorly contribute and make or remake a name for themselves, we turn to the defense.

As we are well aware. the Dolphins brass decided against bringing back some homegrown, fan-favorite players. Replacing Christian Wilkins, Xavien Howard, and Andrew Van Ginkel will be no easy task.

Jaelan Phillips and Bradley Chubb will be missing the start of the season, which is rough for Weaver and Co. We have no idea when they will be back, but there's no need to rush them back. With Weaver coming from Baltimore, the hope is the Dolphins defense, which typically plays hard, can be a unit that stimies teams late in the season. Will that be the case? Who knows.

What we do know is that even though the Dolphins lost some big-time players on defense, there is still enough talent to play winning football. Jalen Ramsey, Zach Sieler, and new addition Shaq Barrett are players that can be depended on. However, this defense will really hum if a few potential gems rise to the occasion and elevate their game. We have these three players in mind:

3. Cam Smith

You all remember Cam Smith, right? He was the second-round cornerback picked last year, taken out of South Carolina, who weirdly only played a handful of snaps. No, it's not the LIV golfer with the terrible mustache. We're talking about the Cam Smith who is loaded with potential for Miami.

We'll never fully know what happened to Smith last year. It seems that former defensive coordinator Vic Fangio didn't think Smith could handle meaningful snaps. Well, it's 2024 and Fangio is history and Weaver is in, so it is very possible that Smith will be given every opportunity to see real snaps out there this campaign.

We know Jalen Ramsey and Kendall Fuller will be the starting corners. We know that Kader Kohou will get a good amount of run at being the No. 3 corner and we know that Nik Needham is floating around there as well.

This tells me that Smith will have the opportunity to rise above Needham and even Kohou. Those guys are solid, but Smith was drafted in the second round, which means he has exceptional talent. Harnessing that talent is obviously the key here along with not wasting any reps.

2. Jordyn Brooks

Jerome Baker is gone and Jordyn Brooks is in. When he was signed, I had to do some research on him. I knew the name, but that was about it. What I found was the type of player the Dolphins have desperately needed for quite some time.

Besides Brooks being a solid inside linebacker, Brooks is a no-messing-around vocal leader who gets the boys going. He's got the kind of attitude and mentality that will make a difference, especially with some of the younger guys on the team.

I can't tell you the last time I've seen a Dolphins player have everyone gathered around him as he tells everyone that they need to be better. The team needs guys like this to make sure everyone knows it's unacceptable to let your teammates down.

Along with the leadership qualities Brooks possesses, he's also a productive linebacker. He's going to have to be because chances are the Dolphins interior defensive line will take a step back due to Wilkins and Raekwon Davis no longer being on the squad. Because of that probable reality, Brooks will have many occasions where he needs to fill a hole and take down a back in the second level. He should be up for the task.

1. Jevon Holland

We all love what Jevon Holland brings to the table. He makes impact plays and he has no fear of leveling guys out there. He played in 12 games last year and once he got those injuries against the Jets on Black Friday, he never really recovered.

Even with that, there is still another level for Holland to ascend to. To most fans of the Dolphins, Holland is thought of as a no-brainer elite safety. To me, he's still on the outside looking in on that group. I want to see the Holland from the Bills game in Buffalo in the snow. That Holland decided he was playing up in the box and wouldn't let Josh Allen do what he wanted to do.

Besides that, this is a contract year for Holland, who I imagine doesn't want to leave South Beach - why would anyone want to do that ? I have no idea if the higher-ups will ultimately re-sign Holland to a long-term deal, but I would like Holland to make that decision as difficult as possible for them.

He will be going into the season as one of the young stars for the defense. If he ups his game, he can be one of the top safeties in the league, not just to Miami fans, but to everyone. And obviously, that would get him massively paid. Seems like everyone wins if Holland goes scorched Earth on the league.