MIAMI GARDENS — The golden rule for the Miami Dolphins regarding last year’s draft class is simple: don’t assume improvement, especially on the defensive line.
We’ll see whether this new regime of general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan and coach Jeff Hafley adhere to that tenet as they build their team during the offseason.
In my view, Sullivan and Hafley should be willing to re-draft any position taken in last year’s draft in this year’s first three rounds — defensive tackle, guard, cornerback, safety and quarterback — except running back.
The thinking is two-fold. You can’t have too much talent at most of those positions, and you don’t have nearly enough talent at any of those positions.
The Dolphins had a decent, although not necessarily strong 2025 draft class despite the fact all seven draftees got playing time last season, and five made at least one start.
None of those rookies seems on a path toward stardom or even a Pro Bowl.
In light of that, my main target for offseason improvement would be the defensive line. It’s a talent-starved, game-changing area. The defensive line, and I’m counting edge rushers in that group, might have been the most disappointing unit on last year’s team after quarterback.
I fully realize that in the past two years the Dolphins have used four drafts picks on the defensive line, including two first-rounders with edge rusher Chop Robinson, the 2024 first-round pick, and tackle Kenneth Grant, the 2025 first-round pick, and also including tackles Jordan Phillips (fifth round, 2025) and Zeek Biggers (seventh round, 2025). None is good enough.
In addition, defensive tackle Zach Sieler was awarded a three-year, $64 million contract extension in August. He wasn’t good enough last season, and he’ll be 31 years old next season.
Worse, the Dolphins’ defensive line enters the offseason as a major concern.
But all of that happened under the old regime.
You’d like to think the new regime will do a better job of selecting talent at the same position. Perhaps, for example, Sullivan and Hafley would have drafted Pittsburgh defensive tackle Derrick Harmon instead of Grant. You get the idea.
We’ve seen the rising importance of defense for the past two years with the Seattle Seahawks and Philadelphia Eagles winning Super Bowls with defensive-minded teams. Here’s something else to consider, both of the Super Bowl runners-up for the past two years, the New England Patriots and Philadelphia, were led by defense, too. It’s true.
Pay attention. Get past the marketing/quarterback talk that dominates TV, radio and podcasts (no blame here, fans generally don’t want to hear about gap responsibility or the wide 9).
What we’ve seen recently in the NFL is that you can win a Super Bowl whether or not you have a Hall of Fame-caliber quarterback. Defense, especially when led by the line, is a good way to win. I’ve been pushing this for years.
Seattle was No. 6 in defense last season (285.6 yards allowed per game) while New England was No. 8 (295.2 ypg). The Seahawks were No. 1 in scoring defense (17.2 points allowed per game) while the Patriots were No. 4 (18.8 ppg).
In 2024, Philadelphia was No. 1 in defense (278.4 ypg) while the Kansas City Chiefs were No. 9 (320.6 ypg). The Eagles were No. 2 in scoring defense (17.8 ppg) and the Chiefs were No. 4 (19.2 ppg).
Want more?
In 2023, the season in which Kansas City defeated the San Francisco 49ers in the Super Bowl, Kansas City was No. 2 in defense (289.8 ypg) and San Francisco was No. 8 (303.9 ypg). The Chiefs were No. 2 in scoring defense (17.3 ppg) and the 49ers were No. 3 (17.5 ppg).
Put another way, in each of the past three years the Super Bowl winner was the team with the better defense.
And much of that dirty work for the defenses started up front, with the defensive lines.
So circling back to the Dolphins, a team that doesn’t have a franchise quarterback, I’d like to see them emphasize defense this offseason, and especially the defensive line.
The Dolphins need better run stuffers in the middle, a stronger pass rush threat from the middle (yes, I know Sieler had 10 sacks in 2023 and 2024), and a much better pass rush from the edge.
Robinson, last year’s first-round pick, doesn’t offer reason to think he’ll be a pass-rushing threat from the edge in 2026 after posting a total of 10.0 sacks in his first two seasons. Fellow edge rusher Bradley Chubb could be a cost-cutting casualty considering he’ll count $31 million against the salary cap next season.
There’s nothing else of note at that position. It’s a dire need.
The sad thing is the Dolphins, in a wise effort to build the trenches during the past two years, have used lots of draft capital (left tackle Patrick Paul was a 2024 second-round pick and left guard Jonah Savaiinaea was a 2025 second-round pick) in that area.
However, Paul is the only impactful trench player to show for those two first- and two second-round picks that show the Dolphins had a rightful way of thinking.
In this April’s draft, I wouldn’t be mad if the Dolphins used a first-round pick on a cornerback or any other non-defensive line player.
But in the second and third rounds they’d need to get defensive line help, possibly at both tackle and edge rusher.
