Dolphins Release LB Tyrel Dodson, DB Lonnie Johnson Jr.

Dodson, 28, inked a two-year, $8.25MM deal with Miami last March. In former defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver‘s 3-4 scheme, the former Bill and Seahawk established career-highs with 129 tackles, five sacks, and 10 tackles for loss. He played in 90% of the Dolphins’ defensive snaps and started all 16 of his appearances.

Pro Football Focus did not believe those strong surface-level stats accurately reflected Dodson’s true performance, as the site considered him the 60th-best inside linebacker out of 88 qualified players. Miami’s new regime, which had no part in Dodson’s signing, appears to agree with PFF’s evaluation, as the club is parting ways with the veteran despite his modest salary ($2.36MM), Rodriguez’s inexperience, and the fact that fourth-round rookie ‘backer Trey Moore is likely to open the season on injured reserve. With the release, the ‘Fins will save $2.97MM in cap space while incurring a dead money charge of $718K.

Irrespective of their views on Dodson, it makes sense for the rebuilding Dolphins to see what they have in Rodriguez, who earned unanimous All-American honors in 2025 while finishing in fifth place in Heisman Trophy voting. He won two awards for the best defensive player in the country (Bronko Nagurski Trophy & Chuck Bednarik Award) as well as the Butkus Award for the nation’s top linebacker. As ESPN’s Marcel Louis-Jacques observes, GM Jon-Eric Sullivan was excited to land Rodriguez in the second round of the draft, calling him a “future green dot guy.”

Dodson, however, may land on his feet quickly. As a vested veteran, he will not need to pass through waivers, and teams in need of an experienced hand in the second level of the defense could look his way.

The Dolphins parted ways with another vested veteran defender today, releasing DB Lonnie Johnson Jr. (via NFL insider Jordan Schultz). A former second-round pick of the Texans, Johnson has seen regular season action for five teams in his seven-year career. That includes nine games (two starts) for the Raiders in 2025.

Johnson, 30, primarily worked as a free safety during his time in Las Vegas, and he was in the mix as a safety and/or third-phase option for Miami this year after joining the club in March. He will now have to look elsewhere for his next opportunity.