The Miami Dolphins really haven't taken their cornerback position seriously in recent years. That changed when they selected San Diego State's Chris Johnson with the 27th overall pick in this year's draft.
New head coach Jeff Hafley specializes in secondary play, and Johnson, along with his teammates at his position, should benefit from that. However, Miami's cornerback core leaves a lot to be desired outside of a rookie carrying massive expectations.
When Jason Marshall Jr. is the most prominent on most people's radars as the potential starting boundary cornerback opposite Johnson, there might be a problem.
If you're a casual Fins fan asking, "Who is that?", or whatever your operative emphasis choice is, I wouldn't blame you. Marshall played some as a rookie last year, primarily at nickelback, and wasn't too effective.
Marshall's move back to his preferred position notwithstanding, I'm here to say that none other than JuJu Brents will be the one to emerge as the other starter on the perimeter of the Dolphins' defensive backfield.
Miami Dolphins CB JuJu Brents has the upside to be a lockdown cornerback (if he stays healthy)
Injuries are a harsh reality for a lot of players in the NFL. Brents knows that all too well, having appeared in only 18 games through three seasons. Speaking of teams with issues at the cornerback spot, few have been as embattled as the Indianapolis Colts of late. Hence why they mortgaged their future for Sauce Gardner this past season.
Brents was expected to be a big part of the solution as a second-round pick back in 2023. Alas, it wasn't meant to be for him in Indy. The Colts stuck with him as long as they could. They simply had to move on, given the premium draft capital they invested in him and the fact that he just couldn't remain available to play.
Once he landed in Miami, though, Brents started to flash the high-end ability that made him such a touted draft prospect out of Kansas State. The 26-year-old has excellent length at 6'3" to disrupt receivers and press coverage, but he's also quite physical and competitive at the catch point.
Another frustrating medical setback happened for Brents just as he was getting going with the Dolphins. A season-ending foot injury in Week 11 made his intriguing sample size frustratingly small, as has been the case throughout his young career.
Nevertheless, Brents did play enough to log 66 coverage snaps, per PFF. He was only targeted seven times and allowed a mere four catches for 29 yards. Only a 10.6% target rate, you say? HOOOH.
The most tested Brents was by far was against the Bills and Josh Allen. Miami beat the brakes off Buffalo that day, 30-13 at Hard Rock Stadium, and Brents was more than up to the task. He was instrumental in the victorious effort—a rare bright spot for the Dolphins as the Tua Tagovailoa-Mike McDaniel era came to a crashing halt.
A JuJu Brents breakout would radically transform Dolphins' 2026 outlook
This is all a bit of a long-winded way to say that we really don't know what Brents' ceiling is. What he has shown in his brief time in the Dolphins uniform to date is far more compelling than anything anyone else on the roster has to offer.
Brents has the ultimate golden opportunity in training camp. He can absolutely set the tone for how this secondary rolls in 2026, and recalibrate what fans are anticipating.
If Brents can stay on the field, and Johnson can hit the ground running in his maiden pro campaign, all of a sudden, Miami might have one of the better young cornerback duos to build around in the entire league.
I mean, check your pulse if you're not fired up.
Add us as a preferred source on Google