Make no mistake. There's a whole lot of ballgame left between now and the start of the 2025 regular season. The Miami Dolphins are set to undergo mandatory mini-camp next week starting on Tuesday, the latest litmus test for Miami amid the team's offseason of change. There's a lot of new (and young) faces on the roster and as a result the Dolphins are a team that many are uncertain about for their outlook this year. 

So let's whittle down the list a little bit. Based off Miami's investments, the trend of players that we know and some early reports from Miami Gardens, what could a 53-man roster projection for 2025 look like now that the Dolphins have completed their OTAs and are now set to participate in mini-camp? 

Offense – 25

Quarterbacks – 3

– Tua Tagovailoa
– Zach Wilson
– Quinn Ewers ®

The Dolphins' outlook this season will go as Tagovailoa does. If Miami gets a full workload, this team will be competitive for a postseason spot. The catch there is, of course, that Tagovailoa has played a full season once in three seasons under McDaniel and had injured reserve stints in the other two. As a result, Miami must carry three quarterbacks on the 53. Wilson got a hefty guarantee as a backup and the team drafted Ewers this spring. 

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Running backs – 4

– De’Von Achane
– Jaylen Wright
– Ollie Gordon II ®
– Alec Ingold (FB)

The decision here lies with whether or not to carry veteran running back Alexander Mattison, who got a fully guaranteed minimum contract this offseason from the team. It's a decision that could come down to the numbers game. Gordon II can play the same kind of role and if he shows up ready to roll, it can be an easy sell for Miami to lean into the youth and upside. 

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Wide receivers – 5

– Jaylen Waddle
– Tyreek Hill
– Nick Westbrook-Ikhine
– Malik Washington
– Tahj Washington

The first four spots in this group are fairly elementary. Waddle and Hill are identifying players in the offense under McDaniel. The team secured Westbrook-Ikhine this offseason on a multi-year contract and he should fulfill a "blue collar" role for the team to help the running game and serve as a big-bodied threat downfield. Malik Washington emerged throughout the second half of the 2024 season as a nice secondary option. The fifth spot comes down to Tahj Washington, Dee Eskridge, and a number of UDFAs who received nice guarantees to sign with the Dolphins after the draft. The tight end dynamics prompt me to lean into another route runner for the fifth spot. 

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Tight ends – 4

– Jonnu Smith
– Pharaoh Brown
– Julian Hill
– Jaylin Conyers ®

Trade rumors surrounding Smith have been persistent this past week. I'll believe it when I see it, though. Smith and the Dolphins want to be together and more often than not these issues get resolved when that is the case. Undrafted rookie Jaylin Conyers feels like an ideal Mike McDaniel pet project and the Brown/Hill combination at the 'Y' tight end spot should give the Dolphins physicality and, hopefully, improved play over what Durham Smythe and Hill in his second year could provide in 2024. 

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Offensive Tackles – 4

– Patrick Paul
– Austin Jackson
– Larry Borom
– Kion Smith

Paul has been tabbed as the heir to a retired Terron Armstead and showed some flashes late in the year when playing his natural position at left tackle. Austin Jackson's return should breathe life into Miami's ability to run the ball, which was a big problem without him in 2024. Beyond that, Miami gets two new faces in the mix — Borom should be a much better scheme fit here than he was protecting Justin Fields & Caleb Williams the last few seasons and Kion Smith returns from a season-ending injury in the preseason last year. 

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Interior Offensive Line – 5

– James Daniels
– Aaron Brewer
– Jonah Savaiinaea ®
– Liam Eichenberg
– Andrew Meyer

For all the grief the Dolphins get about their offensive line, this overhaul sure looks good to me. Going from Rob Jones & Liam Eichenberg to James Daniels & Jonah Savaiinaea as starters at guard is lightyears more promising. Aaron Brewer was a delight despite playing with limited, ineffective guards on either side of him for the entire season. 

The Dolphins, much to the chagrin of the fanbase, did bring back Eichenberg at a low cost thanks to his positional versatility and experience in the scheme. If he's the 8th offensive lineman on the depth chart, some of the intangibles could provide value. And the team was so committed to 2024 rookie UDFA Andrew Meyer that they carried him on the 53-man roster all season. You have to imagine they'll stick that one out for another year. 

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Defense – 25

Edge Defenders – 6

– Bradley Chubb
– Jaelan Phillips
– Chop Robinson
– Quinton Bell
– Mohamed Kamara
– Grayson Murphy

What a difference an offseason makes. In October of last year, the Dolphins were rolling with Robinson, Tyus Bowser, and Emmanuel Ogbah as the top three rushers off the edge. That is, of course, when they weren't stealing reps there from a 38-year old Calais Campbell. Chubb flirted with a late return in 2024 but is back on an amended contract nearly two years removed from his 2023 season-ending injury. Jaelan Phillips will be healthy to start the year after a second-consecutive season-ending injury. Don't sleep on 2024 UDFA Grayson Murphy, who flashed in the preseason but was stashed away for the year due to injury. 

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Interior Defensive Line – 5

– Zach Sieler
– Kenneth Grant ®
– Jordan Phillips ®
– Benito Jones
– Matthew Butler

Rookie seventh-round draft choice Zeek Biggers was a hard one to leave off the list. But he's more of a developmental player and the Dolphins have a lot of youth loaded in this group thanks to their draft investments. Butler has nice potential to serve as an odd-front end and be a more involved depth player than anyone the team had at their disposal in 2024, although he will have competition from new signing Ben Stille and, potentially, an inspired effort from Biggers. 

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Linebackers – 4

– Jordyn Brooks
– Tyrel Dodson
– KJ Britt
– Willie Gay Jr.

The Dolphins made a conscious effort to overhaul the bottom half of this room. It is a win in and of itself for the Dolphins to have moved on from Duke Riley, who was exploited at the end of 2023 and then made several baffling special teams gaffes in 2024. Britt and Gay Jr. could realistically platoon a spot if one of the starters misses significant time — the depth here is strong. 

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Cornerbacks – 6

– Kader Kohou
– Mystery Veteran Free Agent
– Artie Burns
– Storm Duck
– Cam Smith
– Jason Marshall Jr. ®

Jalen Ramsey isn't gone yet but he will be. All eyes, as a result, are on the mystery veteran who the Dolphins ultimately land. It could be an aging veteran like Stephon Gilmore. They've reportedly met with Rasul Douglas and they've been reported to have had contact with Asante Samuel Jr., too. Beyond the Jalen Ramsey replacement, Kohou is a starting capable player who is returning to the same scheme for the first time in his four-year career. 

Artie Burns is a nice veteran hedge who played well in limited time in the same scheme in 2024 with the Seahawks. But leaning on him too much feels like a recipe for a disaster. Who steps up? Does former UDFA darling Ethan Bonner push anyone off a spot? 

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Safeties – 4

– Ifeatu Melifonwu
– Ashtyn Davis
– Patrick McMorris
– Dante Trader Jr. ®

The challenge in this group will be if Elijah Campbell, a long-time veteran who the team seems to like but has never made a leap beyond core special teamer, can stave off the young draft choices the Dolphins committed to in the past 15 months. McMorris flashed big time in the 2024 preseason as a late-round pick and seemed to build trust with the coaching staff after a stint on injured reserve. The Dolphins clearly like Trader Jr. and he should be considered a lock as a fifth-round draft choice this April. Numbers are hard to come by in this group. 

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Special Teams – 3

Specialists

– K Jason Sanders
– P Ryan Stonehouse
– LS Joe Cardona

The big battle here is set to be between Stonehouse and 2024 incumbent, punter Jake Bailey. Miami is getting a fresh face at long-snapper after long-time starter Blake Ferguson spent most of the season on the Non-Football Injury list. 

Miami Dolphins add a familiar face in another step towards completing a total defensive line makeover in 2025

Miami Dolphins add a familiar face in another step towards completing a total defensive line makeover in 2025