Dolphins Critical Offseason Acquistion Finally Healthy

The Miami Dolphins will finally see one of their more critical free agent acquisitions on the practice field Sunday. 

Safety Ifeatu Melifonwu is coming off the NFI list and will compete in his first training camp practice of the summer, coach Mike McDaniel told reporters Sunday. 

Melifonwu's return is an excellent update for a Dolphins’ secondary that has been hit pretty hard by injuries during camp. Fellow safety Ashtyn Davis suffered a lower left leg injury last week and will miss some time, and the team lost cornerbacks Kader Kohou and Artie Burns to season-ending ACL injuries. 

The Dolphins moved quickly to address cornerback, signing Jack Jones and Mike Hilton, but safety seems like a position where the team likes its depth. That depth includes players like Elijah Campbell and rookie Dante Trader Jr., who has been on a pitch count during camp with the hope of playing in joint practices. 

Melifonwu has battled injuries throughout his career, so any time he misses practice, it’s fair to be concerned. 

The only time he has played more than 10 games in a season was in 2023. He’s been limited by various injuries, but most recently missed all but four games of the 2024 season after a training camp ankle injury.

This has led to Melifonwu playing in just 37 games across four seasons, and he’s played more than 250 snaps just once (535 in 2023). Even that comes with an asterisk, as Melifonwu only became a consistent contributor starting in Week 14.

Between Week 1 and Week 13, he logged just 67 snaps on defense. In his defense, the Lions’ safety room was incredibly stacked, and when he did become a fixture of the defense, he was great.

However, any positive forecasting you’re doing around Melifonwu’s play is based on a seven-week run (four regular season games, three playoff games) at the end of the 2023 season and a four-week run (three regular season games, one playoff game) at the end of the 2024 season.

That said, there’s a lot to like on Melifonwu’s tape, especially during that seven-week run in 2023. He showed the ability to play all over the field, something his background as a college cornerback should continue to help with. 

He has the size (6-foot-3, 210 pounds) to match tight ends in the slot, the speed to operate effectively as a deep-half player, and the physicality to step up and make tackles in the running game.

Melifonwu and Minkah Fitzpatrick should make up a solid safety duo if Melifonwu can stay healthy. They have complementary skill sets and plenty of talent to match up with different types of pass catchers.