The Dolphins just missed a golden chance to boost one of their biggest weaknesses — and it’s frustrating whether whiff was by choice or forced by uncertainty
An intriguing player at one of the Dolphins’ biggest holes was just traded into the AFC East — and he’d have been a perfect fit for Miami.
The Miami Dolphins‘ secondary continues to be something of a question mark amid the first three games of the 2025 regular season. Miami saw sweeping changes throughout the back end of their defense this offseason — with Jalen Ramsey, Jevon Holland, Jordan Poyer, and Kendall Fuller all allowed to leave by free agency, trade, or being cut.
The Dolphins entered this offseason with ample anxiety from analysts about the state of the backend. It’s a fear that has manifested for Miami early. The team ranks tied for last in points allowed through three games and has yet to force a turnover.
And now, with the long-term outlook of the Dolphins’ football operating serving as something as a question and the team sitting at 0-3, it’s probably safe to assume that the Dolphins won’t be “buyers” throughout the final month and a half before the 2025 trade deadline. Which means that golden opportunities like the one the Jets just attacked to add new talent to their own secondary are likely to continue to pass the Dolphins by this fall. The Titans have traded cornerback Jarvis Brownlee Jr. to the Jets.
The Dolphins miss a prime chance to add talent to their secondary, perhaps in part by long-term uncertainty
If the Dolphins front office, still headed by general manager Chris Grier, are in a position to make these kinds of moves and simply chose not to, that’s a problem. If the Dolphins’ front office isn’t allowed to trade assets for players because of the uncertainty of everyone’s job security, it’s also a problem. I’m not sure which would be worse.
Cornerback Jarvis Brownlee Jr., a fifth-round draft choice out of the 2024 NFL Draft, enjoyed a productive rookie season and appeared to be an NFL Draft gem for the Titans. But Tennessee, also sitting at 0-3 this season with a head coach of their own on the hot seat (Brian Callahan), decided today to move Brownlee Jr. as a part of a late-round pick swap with the Jets.
Brownlee Jr. is on a rookie contract with two and three-quarters years of play remaining on it and he entered the season owed less then $3.4 million in total compensation between the start of the year and the end of the 2027 season. It’s a perfect add for a player who has flashed the ability to play at a high level. The Titans’ defensive scheme, led by defensive coordinator Dennard Wilson, is another branch off the same tree of the defensive scheme that Miami runs with Anthony Weaver.
So why was Brownlee Jr. made available? A to Z Sports’ Easton Freeze offered four possible explanations:
– Taking action on penalty problems
– Brownlee Jr. wasn’t this Titans front office’s guy
– Pushing youth up the depth chart
– Selling where there’s value to gain
“I loved Brownlee’s game dating back to his time in Louisville, and was elated when the Titans took him on Day 3 of the 2024 NFL Draft. I thought they might’ve stolen a starting-caliber cornerback with a late round pick. For 16 games, I felt that they had. And now, I can’t help but think the Jets are getting one for cheap.
Clearly, this front office doesn’t see it that way. At 5’10″ and 3/8 tall, his 42nd percentile arm length didn’t constitute a very long cornerback. (Titans executive) Chad Brinker, in particular, comes from a scouting background in Green Bay where physical thresholds are highly regarded, and the way I’ve been led to understand it, short cornerbacks are super not their cup of tea.
There’s also always something to be said about players who aren’t the current regime’s “guy” in general. In other words, they didn’t pick you. They inherited you. And you weren’t a part of their cultural or tactical philosophy for building a roster. That doesn’t always mean the player is bad, it can simply mean they aren’t a fit. But if that’s the case here, who is a fit for this vacant starting role?”
— Easton Freeze, A To Z Sports
It’s the kind of opportunity that makes sense to bite on. NFL insider Jordan Schultz reported that the Patriots, in addition to the Jets, were in on the bidding for Brownlee Jr. with the Titans. The difference for both teams versus the Dolphins? Both teams are headed up by head coaches in their first year with new teams.
If Miami is going to be handcuffed from these kinds of opportunities, it’s another gut punch to what has been a false start to 2025. And if their football operation has the liberty to take trade chances like this one and simply chose not to, that’d probably be even worse.
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