Dolphins 2026 Camp Safety Preview: Question Marks Galore

The Miami Dolphins are inching ever closer to the start of another training camp, one that's filled with mystery and intrigue as the result of the most complete overhaul the franchise has seen in many years.

The Dolphins will head into this training camp with a new general manager (Jon-Eric Sullivan), new head coach (Jeff Hafley) and new quarterback (Malik Willis) since 2008 — though we could put an asterisk on 2019 when the Dolphins had Brian Flores as a first-year head coach, Ryan Fitzpatrick as a new quarterback and Chris Grier returning as GM but with more authority after the departure of Executive Vice President of Football Operations Mike Tannenbaum.

Regardless, it's a brand new day for the Miami Dolphins, and after the first steps of the offseason comes the real leadup to the 2026 regular season with training camp.

With a roster overloaded with young or unproven players, this should be one of the more interesting training camps in a while and we'll be previewing it with a series of position previews.

We continue with the safeties.

Safety Position Breakdown

On the roster: Dante Trader Jr., Michael Taaffe, Louis Moore, Lonnie Johnson Jr., Major Burns, Zayne Anderson, Omar Brown

2025 stats:
Trader: 17 games, 3 starts, 55 tackles, 1 pass defensed, 1 forced fumble
Johnson (with Las Vegas): 9 games, 2 starts, 25 tackles, 2 passes defensed
Anderson: 14 games, 15 tackles, 2 fumble recoveries

Projected depth chart: Dante Trader Jr., Lonnie Johnson Jr., Zayne Anderson, Michael Taaffe

Offseason moves: Signed Omar Brown as a free agent ... traded Minkah Fitzpatrick to the New York Jets for a seventh-round pick ... signed Lonnie Johnson Jr. as an unrestricted free agent ... signed Zayne Anderson as an unrestricted free agent ... selected Michael Taaffe in the fifth round of the 2026 NFL draft ... signed Louis Moore as an undrafted rookie free agent ... released Jordan Colbert ... signed Major Burns as a free agent

Training camp CBs one year ago: Minkah Fitzpatrick, Elijah Campbell, Ifeatu Melifonwu, Ashtyn Davis, Patrick McMorris, Dante Trader Jr., Jordan Colbert, John Saunders Jr.

Position better or worse than at the end of the 2025 season: We might have come to the position with the biggest drop-off in terms of name recognition after the offseason departures of Fitzpatrick, Davis and Melifonwu, not to mention the special teams ace Campbell. You'll notice that Trader is the only returning safety from the start of training camp last year and there isn't one newcomer who's a proven commodity at the position. So, yeah, big drop-off here.

THE THREE BIGGEST QUESTIONS AT SAFETY

1. Is there one legitimate bona fide starter at the position?

Yes, this might sound harsh, but it's the reality. Two players are going to wind up starting at safety for the Dolphins, but it's fair to wonder whether any of the candidates on the roster would have a legitimate shot at starting for any other team. The one player who stands out here is Trader, who did show promise as a rookie fifth-round pick and did start three games but still has to prove himself. His impressive spring performance was encouraging in that sense.

2. Who's the most likely long shot to emerge?

By definition, we almost could argue that everybody but Trader is a long shot because Johnson is the only player here with more than three starts, but those all came in 2021 or earlier. The two players who stand out and bear watching the most in training camp are Moore and Burns, who joined the Dolphins after leading college football and the UFL in interceptions, respectively. These clearly are two players with ball skills, and the question is whether they can compete at the NFL level.

3. How likely is it the Dolphins will make a veteran addition at this position?

The Dolphins' blueprint for 2026 has been pretty established, which basically tells us they will not be spending big money on any free agent this year. They also have been resistant to giving players more than one-year deals to maintain maximum flexibility next offseason. That means any addition almost certainly would be a minimum-salary player on a one-year deal, which likely would elimiinate big-name options. The question then becomes whether anyone still available actually would represent an upgrade at safety. The bottom line is that, sure, the Dolphins will tweak the roster and that include safety, but don't expect a splash signing here.