Are the Dolphins Stuck in Neutral at Safety?
Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images
Last offseason the Miami Dolphins had a bunch of players including Christian Wilkins, Robert Hunt, Jevon Holland, Jaylen Waddle, Andrew Van Ginkel, and Tua Tagovailoa who were all due for extensions. It would’ve been impossible for Chris Grier to keep them all with the amount of cap space the Dolphins had, so he prioritized the offensive side of the ball by ensuring Waddle and Tagovailoa were locked up long-term. Ultimately this resulted in the Dolphins losing several key contributors on the defensive side of the ball, including a pair of safeties in Brandon Jones and DeShon Elliott.
I’m not going to blame Grier for not spending the last of Miami’s available cap space at the safety position. However, the departures of Jones and Elliott left the Dolphins’ safety depth looking rather bleak. Grier tried to remedy this by signing Jordan Poyer and Siran Neal from the Buffalo Bills, but in hindsight that wasn’t enough to replenish their depth at the position. Poyer was ranked 94th out of 170 safeties per PFF, while Neal was a hybrid safety/corner who primarily played on special teams.
Fast forward to 2025 and the Phins find themselves in a very similar situation with only $12 million in cap space, according to OTC. To make matters worse, Jevon Holland is set to leave Miami in free agency leaving Patrick McMorris, who only played 8 snaps in 2024 as the only player under contract at safety. It feels like for the past couple of years Chris Grier has had very limited resources to adequately address the position. So are the Dolphins doomed to repeat last offseason by signing another washed up veteran due to their lack of cap space?
Tried to tell y’all Jordan Poyer was washed..#BillsMafia #gofins pic.twitter.com/QKkJGtxgRb
— Sal Fresco (@ElPincheSal) September 14, 2024
To be honest, it certainly feels that way. Miami could be looking at having to fill 2-3 safety spots, depending on whether or not Elijah Campbell re-signs with the team. With only $12 million dollars in cap space as of right now and multiple spots to fill, the likelihood of Grier being able to conjure up some black magic to fill all of those holes with quality depth is very low. In order for that to happen, he’d need to sign two quality contributors for near the vet minimum and draft one of the top safeties like Malaki Starks.
However, therein lies an important question. Is it worth it for the Dolphins to draft Starks in the first round? Nothing against Starks, but safety is still an undervalued position and you’d be taking him over an interior offensive lineman which is arguably the Phins’ most pressing need. Last season proved that the Dolphins cannot function without Tua Tagovailoa. With Tua being someone who is very susceptible to concussions as it is, the Dolphins need to ensure their franchise quarterback is protected. Drafting a guard like Armand Membou at 13 overall feels like a wiser use of resources.
Rather than using an early draft pick on a safety who is unlikely to be offered a substantial contract extension after their rookie contract is up, Chirs Grier’s best bet to address the position within the parameters of Miami’s long-term strategy is to hit on a mid to late round draft pick. Because safety is such an undervalued position across the league, it may be easier to find a hidden gem on Day 3 of the draft compared to other positions. Grier may have already found a steal in the 6th round in Patrick McMorris.
Rookie safety Patrick McMorris (32) might’ve been the best player on the entire field last night. What a performance in his first career NFL game. pic.twitter.com/ui5x330aFN
— FinsCentral (@FinsCentral) August 11, 2024
Despite only playing 8 snaps in the regular season as a rookie, McMorris certainly looked the part in the preseason. In Miami’s first preseason game against the Atlanta Falcons, Patrick McMorris tallied 8 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, and a pass deflection. I remember watching that game and coming away feeling like McMorris was a pro-ready player who could eventually earn a consistent rotational role by the season’s end. Had Patrick McMorris avoided injured reserve, I think Dolphins fans would hold him in much higher regard.
Make no mistake, the Dolphins are still in salary cap hell and Chirs Grier won’t have many options to address the safety position. Chances are things will get worse before it gets better in 2025 without Jevon Holland. The silver lining for Miami is that serviceable safeties are a dime a dozen in the National Football League. It’s possible that Grier takes advantage of the undervalued nature of the safety position and finds the next Patrick McMorris late in the draft.
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