Buy or Sell: More than two current Miami Dolphins players in the secondary will be starters BEYOND 2026
Do the Miami Dolphins have more than two long-term starters in their secondary as things currently stand?
The Miami Dolphins‘ defense is going to look totally different in 2026.
That’s in part, but not exclusively, because of new head coach Jeff Hafley’s scheme. We’ve seen the Miami Dolphins shred their starting secondary to bits, along with several other position rooms across the roster. It’s all apart of a bigger, grand plan — one that has the Dolphins starting from scratch. Hafley’s secondary has plenty of new but it will also feature a lot of youth. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, although growing pains are to be expected. It will become especially good if Miami is able to secure some of that youth into long-term roles with the team. Just how many should we be expecting as things currently stand?
Do the Miami Dolphins have more than two long-term starters in their secondary right now?
The working assumption here is that first-round pick Chris Johnson will be a long-term starter. The team probably doesn’t draft him that early, let alone trade up for him if they don’t see him in such an ambitious light. The second most-likely candidate to be a long-term starter in the secondary feels like second-year safety Dante Trader Jr. Trader Jr. has drawn praise from two different coaching staffs for his work ethic and preparation. Most recently, he got praise from Jeff Hafley for his work as a leader this summer.
“Trader has done a really good job, really kind of helping out those rookies. And even talking to him, through his experience, him having a little bit of help; he feels now like he can help the rookie guys out,” said Hafley last week.
Let’s say they both hit. It’s a bit of an assumption to assume both with play well but given Miami’s long-term needs and finite resources, it may not be a bad assumption that two young defenders with good communication skills will establish rapport with Hafley. Who is the next most-likely long-term starter? Do you consider rookie Kyle Louis as a qualifying player thanks to his ability as a big-nickel defender (a third safety who plays in the slot)? Perhaps JuJu Brents stays healthy and lives up to his second-round draft status with the Colts?
But even if that does happen, Brents is in a contract year. That makes assumptions about long-term projection even more risky. Perhaps that makes the hunt for the next most likely name simple: who is under contract for 2027? That would include the aforementioned Louis as a hybrid defender and it would also include Jason Marshall Jr., the 2025 fifth-round cornerback.
That’s…pretty much it. Finding more than two is a tough task, especially if you’re omitting Louis from the conversation. I’d take just over on an over/under of 2.5 on the Louis technicality. Unless, of course, the Dolphins are in base defense. At that point, I think they’ve got two long-term starters in hand for now.
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