The newest Miami Dolphins free agent addition could offer a clue about 2026 NFL Draft targets
A new addition on defense for Miami.
The Miami Dolphins have secured a fresh, new addition to the defensive depth chart.
Things have quieted down for Miami on the free agency front after a flurry of moves that loaded up one-year contracts in South Florida. The effort, which replaced a large chunk of Miami’s outgoing talent with new pieces to compete for playing time under Jeff Hafley, has been largely limited to veteran salary benefit contracts to keep costs low and long-term options open. But Wednesday brought an interesting signing — not only for who he is as a player but what role the team may be seeking to fill.
Dolphins sign linebacker/safety Ronnie Harrison
Miami reportedly agreed to terms with Ronnie Harrison today; and according to the Miami Herald’s Barry Jackson, the team does intend to use him as a linebacker. Harrison was 6-foot-2, 207 pounds coming out of Alabama in 2018. Harrison should have a strong opportunity to carve out a role in Miami — he’s played 150+ special teams snaps in three of the last four seasons while playing predominantly as a linebacker for the Falcons this past season.
He’s logged just short of 1,200 snaps in his NFL career as a linebacker, plus an additional 908 snaps as a deep safety, and an additional 501 snaps in the nickel.
Take note of this kind of versatility. The Dolphins’ defense doesn’t have much in the way of safety/linebacker hybrids who can blur the lines between personnel packages. Or at least they didn’t until Harrison was inked. And there are several big safeties (or small linebackers) that could do the same in this year’s NFL Draft, too.
Names to know on that front would include Pittsburgh linebacker Kyle Louis, Miami safety/nickel Keionte Scott, Toledo safety Emmanuel McNeil-Warren, LSU safety AJ Haulcy, and South Carolina safety Jalen Kilgore. Just to name a few.
Miami will have options for a young player that could compete for a similar role with some of their top-100 draft capital when it is all said and done. And we’ve gotten a very clear picture about just how much this regime loves competition already. I’m just saying.
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