MIAMI GARDENS — Don’t count Miami Dolphins defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver among the many concerned about the team’s cornerbacks unit.
Weaver gave the rag-tag group of inexperienced youngsters and recent newcomers his stamp of approval as he’s seen them through nearly two weeks of training camp.
“I have a tremendous amount of faith in who we have playing out there right now,” Weaver said Monday, as the Dolphins had a day off from practice and assistant coaches held interviews. “The one thing I know about that group — Storm Duck, Ethan Bonner, Kendall Sheffield; I can go on and on — is that they come out here every day and compete, which is all we ask for.”
Weaver believes the unit is benefiting tremendously from working against a star wide receiver tandem of Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle.
But he also understands these cornerbacks will hit their bumps in the road and need help from the pass rush up front and the presence of five-time Pro Bowl safety Minkah Fitzpatrick with them in the secondary.
“As we play better up front, those guys gain confidence both in their technique and fundamentals, and you’re seeing that come to life,” Weaver said. “Those guys are fighting to make a name for themselves, and I think you’re going to see that once the regular season starts.”
As Weaver lost cornerback Jalen Ramsey, who he had previously called an “ultimate chess piece,” this offseason, the return from the trade with the Pittsburgh Steelers was Fitzpatrick. He presents the kind of versatility that could potentially allow the Dolphins to line him up in different spots and do more than just leaving him covering half of the deep part of the field in Cover-2.
“I can see us doing some things with him,” Weaver said, “and I’ll have to wait for the opponents to try to figure that out come regular season. But we have plans, for sure.
The versatility Fitzpatrick brings is a byproduct of also being able to move other safeties around, with Weaver noting Ifeatu Melifonwu, Ashtyn Davis, Elijah Campbell and possibly rookie Dante Trader Jr. are capable of positional flexibility.
“That’s going to create some angst in the offense because they’re not going to know who’s in, who’s doing what, particularly when you have three of them on the field at the same time,” Weaver said. “My brain starts immediately spinning about all the angst and hesitation you can cause.”
Plus, he likes how Fitzpatrick can play in man-to-man, covering Hill in 1-on-1s during camp.
“Haven’t had a lot of safeties that can do that,” he said. “I think that group, collectively, can be chess pieces. It’s not just Minkah. I think we can do a lot with the skill sets they have.”
Miami has tried to address its cornerback depth chart with in-camp veteran additions, notably boundary cornerback Jack Jones and slot corner Mike Hilton, who will now be thrust into Kader Kohou’s old role after his season-ending knee injury.
Jones is a talented player who can make plays by taking chances in coverage, but he also needs to turn a corner professionally, both in the locker room and away from team facilities.
“My only message to him was be yourself, go out there and be a great teammate. And if you do that, the rest of the things take care of themselves,” Weaver said. “Now, in being a great teammate, you’ve got to handle your responsibilities off the field. Or, you can’t be in chaos off the field and expect to come in here and be in alignment with what we’re trying to do. And everything he’s promised he would do, he’s done to date.”
Hilton is physical for his 5-foot-9, 184-pound frame, able to fit gaps in run support and rush the passer from the slot.
“If anybody knows Mike Hilton, they know that he can blitz,” Weaver said. “So I’m going to take advantage of that skill set for sure.”
In all this cornerback talk, there are still question marks surrounding the future for 2023 second-round pick Cam Smith. Coach Mike McDaniel seemed frustrated Smith is again dealing with an injury and is missing vital time in camp.
“You feel for Cam, because you know the want-to is there, the fight is there,” Weaver said. “It’s just hard to have steady growth when you can’t be on the field. The challenge to him, ultimately, is just to see if he can get healthy and be out there consistently for the team. But until that happens, obviously, the monumental gains will be difficult.”
But what can help the secondary is if the pass rush, which should be strong for the Dolphins, can minimize the time those cornerbacks have to cover.
A big part of that is the development of edge rusher Chop Robinson going into his second season.
“He is incredibly humble and incredibly hungry,” Weaver said. “And usually when you have that combination of the two and you have his skill set, success is on the horizon.”
Weaver sees fellow outside linebackers Bradley Chubb and Jaelan Phillips coming along strong after their respective knee rehabs.
“They’re everything we’ve expected,” he said. “Those guys have had the careers they’ve had for a reason. They have very high expectations of themselves and they practice to that.”
Along with Robinson, the Dolphins’ 2024 first-round draft pick, the rookie first-rounder, defensive tackle Kenneth Grant, is receiving high marks from his coordinator.
“I think his game particularly comes to life when the pads come on,” Weaver said. “You’ve seen the impact it can have both in the middle of the pocket as a run defender and as a pass rusher.”
Another camp standout, linebacker Willie Gay Jr., is forcing Dolphins defensive coaches into tough personnel decisions with his play in practice. Although Tyrel Dodson was labeled a starter next to Jordyn Brooks at inside linebacker by linebackers coach Joe Barry, Weaver said he’ll find ways to get Gay on the field.
“I feel like we have multiple starters in that room, guys that can come out here and play for us,” Weaver said. “It’ll be our job from a coaching standpoint to see how many of those guys can get on the field at the same time to go out there and wreak havoc.”
Originally Published: August 4, 2025 at 3:10 PM EDT