The Miami Dolphins have spent this summer leaning hard into versatility, and nowhere is that more obvious than on defense. New head coach Jeff Hafley is trying to patch together a roster full of holes by moving players all over the field, with rookies and young defenders being asked to fit wherever the need is greatest.
That approach has already shown up in a few different places. Kyle Louis came into college as mostly a linebacker and can handle nickel duties, but he’s now getting a look at safety because Miami needs help there.
First-round cornerback Chris Johnson hardly worked in the slot in college, yet the latest depth chart has him listed as the starting nickel. Trey Moore was another flexible piece after thriving as an edge defender before shifting to off-ball linebacker, but the rookie fourth-round pick is now out for the foreseeable future with an ankle injury.
The reason Miami can afford to shuffle so many pieces around is the strength of its linebacker room. That group is led by first-team All-Pro Jordyn Brooks, incumbent starter Tyrel Dodson, and second-round rookie Jacob Rodriguez. Among all the positions on this roster, linebacker is the one the Dolphins can genuinely call a strength in 2026.
That depth, though, creates a tricky question for Jackson Woodard.
Woodard turned heads in the Week 2 preseason loss to the New York Giants, where PFF gave him an 85.8 grade - the highest mark among Dolphins defenders in the game. He also came up with a fumble recovery on a heads-up hustle play that stood out in a rough night for Miami.
. @jackson_wood23 gets the ball back! 💪
📺: @CBSMiami pic.twitter.com/QzAuA9IG49
- Miami Dolphins (@MiamiDolphins) August 22, 2026
Even with that performance, the Dolphins keep finding more linebackers to mix into the picture. Stephen Dix Jr. was claimed off waivers from the street on Friday and then served as the green-dot linebacker for the entire second half against the Giants the next day. That kind of instant usefulness is exactly what makes this group so crowded.
There’s more competition behind the obvious names, too. Willie Gay Jr. brings the résumé of a two-time Super Bowl champion who once started for the Kansas City Chiefs, and Ronnie Harrison Jr., who converted from safety, remains another intriguing wildcard.
Woodard has earned attention, but the physical profile is still part of the conversation. His 4.39 RAS score points to athletic limitations, and when he came out of UNLV as an undrafted free agent in 2025, his composite speed and agility scores were labeled below average and poor, respectively.
Still, he’s not some afterthought who stumbled into camp. Woodard stuck with the Houston Texans from May through December last year before Miami signed him off Houston’s practice squad.
He also had the chance to learn under DeMeco Ryans, a coach with a strong reputation and a decorated playing career at linebacker. The Texans, it appears, had reason to want to keep him around.
That matters because the Dolphins may value what Woodard does between the ears more than what he brings in pure athletic traits. If he doesn’t get a defensive role, he can still help on special teams, and that alone could make him hard to cut.
With so many hybrid pieces already in motion, Woodard may be the kind of player Miami has to keep simply to avoid losing him. If he stays, the Dolphins could open the door to moving Dodson, starting Rodriguez, and using more base nickel looks that keep Johnson where the depth chart says he belongs.
Woodard also looks like a more realistic special teams piece than Gay, and maybe a more willing one, too. Miami is clearly embracing its youth movement, which only makes the case stronger for keeping the younger, ascending player in the mix.
That leaves Hafley and GM Jon-Eric Sullivan staring at some difficult 53-man decisions at what may be the deepest position on the roster. Woodard can be tucked away on the practice squad, but after the way he’s performed in preseason and camp, another team could grab him before Miami gets the chance. The Dolphins already know that story - they were the team that took him from Houston in the first place.
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If the Dolphins ever found themselves on the clock with the No. 1 overall pick in 2027, the conversation in Miami would get interesting in a hurry. ESPNs Jordan Reid floated a mock-draft scenario in which the Dolphins move down with Cleveland, add a haul of picks, and still come away with Ohio State wide receiver Jeremiah Smith, giving the franchise a way to reset its draft capital without giving up a blue-chip pass catcher.
The appeal of the idea is obvious from Miamis perspective: a trade like that would bring back multiple first-rounders, a fourth-round pick and a future second-rounder, while still leaving the team positioned to land one of the most intriguing offensive prospects in the class. It is only a projection at this point, not a real deal, but it underscores how a top pick could become more than just a single-player decision if Miami ever gets that opportunity. [Read more 🡒]
Dolphins End Camp With Roster Battles And New Injury Questions
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Jeff Hafley spent part of the day giving injury updates, and that remains the other big camp storyline for the Dolphins as they move from evaluation to decisions. Some players were unavailable or limited, which only adds to the roster pressure after a camp that has already featured enough on-field intrigue to make the final cut conversations more complicated than usual. [Read more 🡒]
Dolphins O Line Depth Just Got More Concerning After Surprise Move
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Miami can still re-sign Salyer after the waiting period tied to the settlement, but for now the focus is on finding answers before the season begins. The Dolphins are expected to keep an eye on the waiver wire and explore trade options as they try to stabilize a line that suddenly looks thinner than they would like. [Read more 🡒]