The Broncos may have just gotten the kind of roster-cutdown break teams don’t usually get at a spot that has been begging for help.
Denver spent much of the 2026 offseason bringing back familiar faces, re-signing a long list of its own free agents and largely choosing continuity over a major shakeup. The biggest splash was the trade for Jaylen Waddle, but the overall plan was obvious: keep the core together and take another run at it.
That approach made sense in a lot of places. At inside linebacker, though, it left a glaring question mark.
Now the Dolphins have opened a door. Miami is releasing linebacker Tyrel Dodson, according to @TomPelissero and @Schultz_Report, with Marcel Louis-Jacques noting that “Simply put, it’s Jacob Rodriguez’s time in Miami. The second-round pick missed some time last week with an injury but has otherwise been a standout in training camp”
Dodson had one year left on the two-year, $6.25 million deal he signed, but there was no guaranteed money remaining, which made him an easy move for Miami after Jordyn Brooks was re-signed and rookie Jacob Rodriguez started turning heads. Dodson turned 28 this summer and started 16 games for the Dolphins in 2025, posting one interception, three passes defended, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery, five sacks, 129 total tackles, 10 tackles for loss, and six quarterback hits.
The production has been real. He had 107 total tackles in 2024, giving him back-to-back seasons over 100.
The coverage numbers, though, were shakier. Pro Football Reference says Dodson allowed a 115.7 passer rating when targeted in 2025, after allowing a much better 77.2 in 2024.
PFF’s data was similar, showing a 108.1 passer rating allowed in coverage this year.
Even with those issues, Dodson looks like a useful piece for Denver because the Broncos’ current starting duo at inside linebacker is Alex Singleton and Justin Strnad, and that group still needs help. Dodson is younger than both of them, and the fact that Miami moved on doesn’t appear to be about performance so much as opportunity.
For Denver, the fit is pretty straightforward. Dodson would give the Broncos a mid-tier starter at a position where they need someone to stabilize the room. Add in rookie Red Murdock, and suddenly the Broncos would have something that at least resembles a plan.
They need a third linebacker to emerge, and right now that’s not a small ask. Strnad has never been a full-time starter, and Singleton has had his rough stretches. Dodson brings experience, a starter’s résumé, and a chance for Denver to patch one of the weakest spots on the roster before it becomes a bigger problem.
In Other News...
Broncos Just Created More Roster Flexibility At A Tense Time
The Broncos picked up a little extra roster breathing room at a tricky point in the calendar by bringing outside linebacker David Agoha onto the practice squad through the NFLs International Pathway Player program. Because that designation does not count against the usual practice squad limit, Denver can add another developmental piece without using one of its standard spots, a small but useful advantage as the team keeps working through the end-of-roster churn.
It comes at a time when the Broncos are sorting out cuts ahead of the deadline and trying to stay ahead of potential losses elsewhere on the depth chart. Jonathon Cooper could be headed for a suspension, which only adds to the pressure on Denvers edge group, and the path for other players on the roster to settle into bigger roles or land on the practice squad is getting clearer by the day. [Read more 🡒]
Broncos Surprise Cuts Expose A Bigger Problem At Two Weak Spots
Roster reductions always leave a few surprises, but the Broncos decision to move on from rookies Justin Joly and Red Murdock stood out because both had arrived with some real expectation attached. Joly was brought in as a fifth-round draft pick via trade, while Murdock had been viewed as a meaningful offseason addition at linebacker, the sort of player teams usually hope can help stabilize a depth chart rather than get caught in the numbers game.
Taken together, the cuts point to something bigger than two missed evaluations. Tight end and linebacker have been areas where Denver has been trying to find the right fit, and these moves only add to the sense that the Broncos have not yet gotten those spots settled. The club is still sorting through what it wants there, and decisions like these suggest the search may be harder than expected. [Read more 🡒]
Sean Payton Just Raised The Biggest Broncos Question Before Chiefs Opener
After a shaky night against Green Bay, the Broncos needed a clean response in preseason play, and they got one against Minnesota. The win gave Sean Payton a useful reminder of where the roster stands as Denver heads into the regular season, with the coach still weighing how the teams depth holds up and how quickly the group can settle in before the games start to count.
The bigger issue now is whether that bounce-back was a preview of something sustainable or just a sharp August rebound. With Kansas City waiting in the opener, Denvers margin for error is already thin, and Paytons handling of the roster through camp has only sharpened the focus on how ready the Broncos really are when the AFC West spotlight hits. [Read more 🡒]