As Malik Willis will be entrusted with quarterback play for the Miami Dolphins, he’ll have a new bigger-bodied pass-catcher to target.
The Dolphins agreed to terms with former Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Jalen Tolbert, according to a league source Friday afternoon.
Tolbert, 27, measures in at 6 feet 1, has the speed to stretch the field on vertical routes and is known to effectively release off the line of scrimmage to beat press coverage at the start of his routes.
For his career in four seasons with the Cowboys, who selected him in the third round of the 2022 draft out of South Alabama, Tolbert has 91 receptions, 1,093 yards (12 yards per catch) and 10 touchdowns.
His biggest season came in 2024 when he started 15 games, went for 610 yards and seven touchdowns.
He regressed last season in Dallas, however, going for just 18 catches, 203 yards and one touchdown while dipping down the Cowboys’ depth chart and even being a healthy scratch for multiple games.
As Tolbert can look to reclaim that success from two seasons ago, he possesses size the Dolphins don’t have much of in the receiving corps. The unit, as currently constructed, figures to be led by Jaylen Waddle. After him, new signing Tutu Atwell is a small speedster, and Malik Washington can grow into an effective slot receiver. Tahj Washington, Theo Wease Jr. and Terrace Marshall Jr. will also compete for roster spots, as Wease and Marshall possess size at 6 feet 2.
Miami will also look to expand on a strong second half of the 2025 season for pass-catching tight end Greg Dulcich.
Special teams additions
The Dolphins signed punter Seth Vernon and long snapper Tucker Addington, according to a source.
Vernon does not have any NFL punting stats, first entering the NFL as an undrafted free agent with the Atlanta Falcons in 2022. He has also been with the Minnesota Vikings before spending time on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ practice squad in 2024.
He played in the UFL in 2025 with the Michigan Panthers, appearing in nine games and recording 23 punts for a 45.4-yard average and eight punts pinned inside the 20-yard line. Vernon played in college at Portland State from (2019 through 2021, where he appeared in 24 games, punting 93 times for an average of 44.6 yards and 24 punts inside the 20.
The Dolphins needed to find a new punter after Jake Bailey, who handled the role the past three seasons, joined the Atlanta Falcons.
Addington returns to Miami after he snapped for three games in the 2024 season and didn’t play in 2025.
The Dolphins had Joe Cardona handle long-snapping duties in 2025, but he signed with the Los Angeles Rams this week.
In 2024, Addington was among multiple long snappers Miami rotated for a spot on the practice squad and three subsequent elevations to the roster, the maximum available for each, as Blake Ferguson was unavailable most of that season on the non-football illness list.
Among other specialists, the Dolphins will have a kicker competition between Riley Patterson and Zane Gonzalez.