Battles in the Dolphins’ secondary headline the five biggest storylines to emerge from Miami’s first depth chart of the 2025 preseason
The Dolphins dropped their first 2025 depth chart on Wednesday. What should you care about? What is a nothing-burger?
The Miami Dolphins have unveiled their preliminary depth chart for the 2025 preseason. With the Dolphins set to practice against the Chicago Bears with joint practices and the team’s first preseason game looming on Sunday in Chicago, the Dolphins were due for that initial look at the pecking order at each position.
Depth charts in general are fluid — especially the ones that are generated in the preseason. So there’s not a lot of concrete takeaways that fans should take from the first one of the season. But there are some clues to how things are going for some key players in Miami. What stands out the most?
Five notable storylines from the Dolphins’ first depth chart of 2025
Things are not going great for Cam Smith!
The former second-round draft choice is, at best, the seventh-highest ranked cornerback on the depth chart when you include the nickel defenders. Right now, Miami has second-year corner Storm Duck, veteran journeyman Kendall Sheffield, and veteran Mike Hilton running as the first-team cornerbacks.
Newly signed Jack Jones is sandwiched between Sheffield and Smith, who has been hampered with an undisclosed injury in recent days. It’s a troublesome trend for Smith throughout his time in Miami and at this point, he needs to be more worried about making this roster than he does competing for a starting job. Not great!
The Dolphins are making Jack Jones earn it
Jack Jones, on the other hand, has been around the ball seemingly every day since signing late in the first week of training camp. Jones has loads of talent but has had trouble staying out of his own way off the field, having worn out his welcome in both New England and Las Vegas.
He’s on a one-year ‘prove it’ deal in Miami. It’s now or never. And the Dolphins appear inclined to continue to force him to stay dialed in before handing him anything. Jones signed around the same time as Mike Hilton, who is already penciled in as the first team nickel. Jones is still lingering behind Kendall Sheffield — although if Jones continues to progress and plays within the means of of the scheme, it’s hard to imagine things staying that way into the regular season.
We (officially) know who is playing on what side of center Aaron Brewer
Jonah Savaiinaea was predominantly a right side of the line player when he was at Arizona. The lack of experience for Patrick Paul at left tackle and Savaiinaea’s roots on the right side created some speculation this spring about who was going to play on what side at guard. The first context clues started creeping out during the first week of training camp, with Paul making comments about working alongside Savaiinaea.
Sure enough, the depth chart has the youngsters playing side by side on the left side, leaving veteran James Daniels to step in at right guard between Brewer and tackle Austin Jackson.
Darren Waller’s getting a lot of wiggle room
Darren Waller is still awaiting the start of his own personal training camp experience — Miami has been onboarding him after a year in retirement by working him out on the PUP list. Head coach Mike McDaniel suggested on Wednesday that he’s about a week away but the timing is tricky due to the Dolphins’ joint practices with Detroit.
Regardless of having never played a snap or having put on a pair of pads for the Dolphins (or at all in the past year and a half), Waller is listed as the first-string tight end.
That darn punter competition is still WIDE open
The dreaded ‘OR’ showed up between the names of Ryan Stonehouse and Jake Bailey, meaning this punter competition is truly a neck-and-neck experience as the team veers into the Windy City. Bailey has the benefit of chemistry with Jason Sanders on field goals on his side, whereas Stonehouse has been a better punter when kicking at his best.
This was the only position on the entire depth chart to be given an ‘OR’ designation, to give you an idea of how tight this particular battle on the roster is. Bailey is marginally more expensive from a salary perspective, the Dolphins could save just under $2 million if they chose to cut him. It’s an edge for Stonehouse but not a big enough one to warrant tilting the scales if he can’t out-kick Bailey.
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