A Peek at the Miami Dolphins Defensive Back Room

A Peek at the Miami Dolphins Defensive Back Room

Miami’s defensive backs are not great on paper. Lots of 1-year deals for below-average veterans with few starts. Yet, the word out of spring practices has been that Miami’s cornerbacks and safeties are some of the most outstanding players out there. Though not everything is allowed on social media, it seems that players like Ethan Bonner and Dante Trader are making waves for the team.

It has been, and will be, a similar story for the Dolphins the rest of the summer. They are not expected to perform well at all. That is, in large part, due to the roster overhaul the new regime made when they walked in the door. All of Miami’s cap is allocated to players no longer on the team. This forced the brass to get creative and sign backup-caliber players on cheap deals.

Green Bay has had a decent history with similar tactics, and it may have worked again in a new setting.

I will preface this with the “it is only practice” headline – because it is in fact only practice. Many things can change come gameday. But these Dolphins defensive backs have been lighting it up at camp, giving the offense a run for their money. Notable players that have made splash plays documented by media members or the official Dolphins account itself: JuJu Brents, Ethan Bonner, Dante Trader, Jason Marshall, Chris Johnson. Those are the big ones, with others like Lonnie Johnson and Kyle Louis (if you want to include him) forcing turnovers against the starting offense.

Now, this may not be huge news worth anything come September, but I believe it offers hope that Miami has found a formula with the roster overhaul and proof that the players on this team are NFL-caliber starters.

There is definitely a projected starting lineup, especially with how the cornerback back room shook out after the NFL Draft. I think it is pretty easy to say 1st round pick Chris Johnson will be playing the majority of snaps week 1. He has been developing his skills early on with spring camp and OTAs and is expected to continue in his strides. Jason Marshall, a rare Chris Grier hit, has been cross-training between the slot and outside cornerback positions. He was only listed as a starter once last season, but played 32% of defensive snaps in 12 game appearances.

Former Colts draft selection JuJu Brents is also a fan favorite and is making a strong push to start. His health has always been a concern, but he has reportedly been practicing with a lot of the expected starters. The biggest sleeper has to be Ethan Bonner. Chris Grier knows how to find those undrafted gems. Bonner has been making splash plays against receivers like Malik Washington and Caleb Douglas, as well as intercepting Malik Willis a handful of times in OTAs.

It may not be pretty, but it can work. This defensive back corps has a lot to prove, but a healthy mix of veterans and rising young stars gives me hope that they will contribute to (hopefully) many Dolphins wins in 2026.