MIAMI GARDENS — The Miami Dolphins aren’t having a good offseason.
Let’s start with that.
But now, it’s bordering on disastrous.
After the first two days of the three-day NFL draft, and in the midst of a questionable draft performance, the Dolphins’ entire offseason plan must be called into question.
Most recently, the Dolphins selected a guard before a cornerback.
Yes, they drafted a guard before a cornerback.
A freakin’ guard!
He’s the cherry on top for the offense.
But the defense still lacks meat and potatoes.
On Friday’s Day 2 of the draft, 12 cornerbacks were selected. Nine of those were taken in the third round, including two by Tampa Bay.
And the Dolphins, who badly needed a cornerback, decided not to participate in the feeding frenzy.
Unreal.
The Dolphins needed to have an exceptional draft, and they haven’t delivered so far.
The Dolphins eventually selected a cornerback in Saturday’s fifth round — Florida’s Jason Marshall Jr.
But you know the cornerback situation. It’s dire. It’s desperate.
Slot/nickel cornerback Kader Kohou is the only returning starter.
Cornerback Jalen Ramsey, the future Hall of Famer, and the Dolphins have mutually agreed to seek a trade. That’s one starter gone.
Veteran Kendall Fuller was cut this offseason. That’s the other starter gone.
Primary among those remaining are Cam Smith, the disappointing 2023 second-round pick, and Storm Duck, the 2024 undrafted rookie who turned in a promising performance.
You can’t enter training camp thinking either will be good enough to be a starter.
Cornerback is a major problem.
Granted, the Dolphins addressed defense in the first round by selecting Michigan defensive tackle Kenneth Grant.
They also drafted Maryland safety Dante Trader Jr. Saturday in the fifth round.
But that’s not enough.
The defense had multiple major holes to fill.
The offense had one minor hole to fill.
I mean, seriously, what the heck is going on here?
This is crazy.
The offense, which has repeatedly come up short in big moments over the past two years, now has all 11 starters on the roster along with a couple of key reserves.
Meanwhile, the defensive secondary is a mess.
I’m complaining — not panicking.
I’ve long maintained that I have faith in general manager Chris Grier’s ability to find cornerbacks.
Yes, I’m starting to lose a chunk of that faith.
But let’s see what Grier can do.
In the meantime, I’ll try to wrap my mind around this jarring phenomenon of the Dolphins not drafting a cornerback through three rounds.
The Dolphins entered the first two days of the draft with picks in the first, second and third rounds and exited the first two days with Grant and Arizona guard Jonah Savaiinaea, their second-round pick who they traded up to acquire, surrendering this year’s third-round pick in the process.
The Dolphins turned an opportunity to land three impact players into landing two impact players.
Yet again, it appears Grier has faltered on Day 2 of the draft, rounds two and three.
As I said before, I’m not panicking, I’m complaining.
This makes absolutely no sense.
Grier mentioned on Friday night that there was still more of the draft to go, and free agency remaining.
However, it’s been a rough offseason and there’s no reason to think things will settle down soon.
Consider what’s happened.
There’s been a shift in philosophy, going from “win now” to draft and develop.
For the second consecutive offseason there are major personnel losses. This year’s departures include Pro Bowl left tackle Terron Armstead (retirement), future Hall of Fame defensive tackle Calais Campbell (went to Arizona in free agency) and, at some point, future Hall of Famer Ramsey (mutually agreed with the team to seek a trade).
This year’s free agency acquisitions have been so-so, at best, for the Dolphins at this point, led by backup quarterback Zach Wilson and guard James Daniels.
And I’ll only briefly mention wide receiver Tyreek Hill’s headline-grabbing behavior.
Yeah, it’s been a rough offseason.
But let’s get back to this head-scratching draft.
In a draft whose best value was in rounds two and three, the Dolphins reduced their picks in those rounds.
Grant and Savaiinaea better be really, really good, and it better happen really, really fast.
You know the lineup of quarterbacks the Dolphins face this season.
In addition to facing Buffalo’s Josh Allen, the league MVP, twice, they’ll also face Baltimore’s Lamar Jackson, Cincinnati’s Joe Burrow, Washington’s Jayden Daniels, Tampa Bay’s Baker Mayfield, and the Los Angeles Chargers’ Justin Herbert.
Each is capable of carving up the Dolphins’ secondary.
The Dolphins need cornerbacks or a long offseason will turn into a long regular season for the second consecutive year.
Originally Published: April 26, 2025 at 11:15 AM EDT