The Miami Dolphins release one last starter from last year’s team and hand the keys to the defense to a rookie
It is Jacob Rodriguez’s job in the middle for the Miami Dolphins. Starting now.
The Miami Dolphins‘ roster cuts are well underway. We’re getting wave after wave of reported transactions this morning — and the initial list of 53-players must be finalized by 6PM tonight.
We have perhaps our biggest cut of the day. The Miami Dolphins are releasing LB Tyrel Dodson, per Netflix’s Tom Pelissero. Dodson was a starter in South Florida for the past year and a half. Seeing Jeff Hafley talk about how he views the position doesn’t make this a surprise, per se. But the implications here are significant. The Dolphins just gave the car keys to a rook.
Miami Dolphins pave the way for Jacob Rodriguez to be the man in the middle
“It’s the way offenses are making you defend the entire field…The way teams are spreading you out and forcing you to play certain zones, if I’m 10 yards away from you and Achane catches the ball in space and I’m not good at playing in space, it’s going to be a very hard down for me. The more you can get guys who can shrink the field with speed, with length, the ability to adjust laterally, right? All of a sudden we’re playing in space, you go this way, I’ve got to be able to adjust laterally and make that play.
It’s become really, really important at the position. And just the overall speed of the game with the wideouts, the running backs, the tight ends, there’s a lot of athletes on the field right now. So we need guys who can do that on defense as well.”
— Jeff Hafley about linebacker play in space earlier this month
Rodriguez? He’s a guy who plays and thrives in space. Dodson? Much more of a thumper. Given the extension for Jordyn Brooks and now Rodriguez, it would seem Hafley has his crew. Dodson was a waiver claim success story for the Miami Dolphins in 2024 and retained a starting job in 2025. He’s now a casualty of a scheme change. He can definitely play. He’s just something of a square peg in a round hole.
Or he was.
This is still Jordyn Brooks and Zach Sieler’s defense. But Rodriguez has won the MIKE linebacker competition against Dodson. Officially. The future is now in Miami. On Jeff Hafley’s defense and otherwise.
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