Chris Johnson’s first NFL game with the Miami Dolphins was rough, and there’s no way around that.
The first-round rookie cornerback was targeted 11 times, gave up six catches and two touchdowns, and looked every bit like a player still getting his feet under him, according to Pro Football Focus ($). That kind of debut is going to draw heat, especially when a team traded up to get him. In our weekly rookie report card, he landed a “C,” and even that may have been generous.
Still, the bigger picture matters. Johnson was making his first appearance on a defense that had its own share of inexperienced players around him. He lined up outside, but he also worked in the slot as expected, and the assignment asked a lot of him right away.
After the game, Johnson didn’t try to dress up what happened. He was blunt about his performance, which says plenty about where his mindset is.
Jeff Hafley made it clear afterward that Johnson has to play better, but he also pointed to the way the rookie handled the night. Hafley said Johnson didn’t hang his head or quit, and that the team kept fighting to the end.
Dante Trader, who knows firsthand what it’s like to be a young player thrown into the fire, had some perspective for him. Trader started three games for the Dolphins last season and allowed 15 catches on 20 targets. After the game, he kept it simple:
"Make this your worst game," Trader said.
That’s the challenge for Johnson now. Early NFL growing pains are part of the job, and they get even harder when the players around you are still learning too.
Rueben Bain Jr. is another example. A lot of Dolphins fans wanted him at 14 when the team took Kaydn Proctor, and he had been excellent in training camp.
But against the Bengals on Sunday, he managed only one tackle, and it was an assist, with no steady pressure on the quarterback.
Johnson is in a similar spot. The talent is there.
The tools are there. He’s also still learning multiple spots in the secondary, and that takes time.
The next few weeks will tell a lot about how quickly he can settle in.
He won’t get much of a breather. The Dolphins face the 49ers, Chiefs, Vikings, and Bengals before their bye week.
In Other News...
Jaylen Waddle's Broncos Debut Just Fueled A Dolphins Trade Debate
Jaylen Waddles first game in a Broncos uniform came on Monday Night Football, and for Dolphins fans still tracking the move, it was impossible not to notice how quiet it was. Denver acquired Waddle from Miami for a first-round pick, then watched him finish with one catch for two yards on three targets while the Chiefs kept him largely under wraps.
For Miami, the deal only sharpens the debate because the Dolphins used that pick on Chris Johnson, giving the trade a very immediate point of comparison. Waddles limited involvement in his Denver debut does not settle the argument, but it does give both sides fresh ammunition as the early returns on the swap start to take shape. [Read more 🡒]
Dolphins Owner Just Landed In Rare Company Among NFL Billionaires
The latest Forbes 400 list offered a fresh reminder of just how much financial firepower sits behind some NFL franchises, and Stephen Ross remains one of the leagues most prominent owners in that company. The Dolphins owner checked in at 56th with a net worth of $21.5 billion, while Miami itself was valued at $7.5 billion, underscoring how far the franchise has climbed in league business circles.
Ross is hardly alone among NFL owners on the annual ranking, with familiar heavyweights like Rob Walton, David Tepper, Stanley Kroenke, Jerry Jones and Robert Kraft also making the cut. For Miami, the bigger takeaway is less about the leaderboard itself and more about what that kind of ownership profile can mean in a league where resources, ambition and expectations are often linked long before the first snap is taken. [Read more 🡒]
Dolphins Got One Encouraging Sign Up Front And One Early Concern
The Dolphins left Week 1 with the kind of mixed offensive line tape that usually tells you more about the process than the box score. There was at least one encouraging sign up front, with left tackle Patrick Paul and rookie Kadyn Proctor showing promise in both pass protection and the run game, while center Aaron Brewer held up well when the game called for him to pass block. For a team still rebuilding that unit with an eye on the future, those flashes matter.
Still, Miami also had reason to leave Sunday uneasy. Jonah Savaiinaea and Austin Jackson posted poor pass-blocking grades on the right side, which is the sort of early issue that can change how a line is viewed before the season really settles in. The Dolphins are trying to develop stability up front, but Week 1 offered a reminder that the group is still very much a work in progress. [Read more 🡒]