The Miami Dolphins’ new regime of general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan and coach Jeff Hafley wants to build a team founded on competition.
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And there will be competition aplenty all over the roster as Dolphins veterans report for training camp Tuesday and suit up for their first practice Wednesday.
Outside of the starting quarterback, running back, a couple of spots on the offensive and defensive lines and weakside linebacker, there are jobs up for grabs at virtually every position group.
In large part, it’s because Miami’s roster, kicking off a rebuild in 2026, is full of either young players or veterans who have come in on team-friendly deals who will have to earn their roles.
Here’s a look at the top competitions to watch at Dolphins camp over the next month:
Wide receiver
As quarterback Malik Willis takes the reins in Miami and has Pro Bowl running back De’Von Achane in the backfield with him, he will need receivers to throw to.
During the organized team activities and minicamp, fifth-year pro Jalen Tolbert, who came over after having a diminishing role with the Dallas Cowboys in 2025, emerged as one of his favorite targets. Tolbert is 6 feet 1, can make plays downfield and has a decent catch radius for Willis.
He can be labeled an early front-runner for receptions on the outside. Third-year slot receiver Malik Washington has been developing chemistry with Willis in the offseason, along with speedster and Miami native Tutu Atwell and rookie Caleb Douglas.
Douglas, selected in the third round out of Texas Tech, has the 6-4 frame and long arms to elevate and high-point the football.
Whenever fellow third-round pick Chris Bell is ready to practice as he rehabs last year’s torn ACL at Louisville, he will immerse himself into competition for reps. Fifth-round choice Kevin Coleman Jr. can give Washington a run for opportunities in the slot.
The Dolphins added veteran former first-round pick Jalen Reagor as a reclamation project, and they still have 2025 undrafted wide receiver Theo Wease Jr. as a prospect worth developing.
At tight end, Greg Dulcich figures to lead that group after a strong second half to his 2025 in Miami, while Ben Sims and rookie Will Kacmarek will vie for in-line blocking and occasional pass-catching opportunities. Rookie Seydou Traore comes in raw out of Mississippi State and the NFL’s international player pathway program, but has potential.
Cornerback
There are roles to be earned on the outside defensively for the Dolphins, but the competition here takes a hit as Darrell Baker Jr. and Storm Duck are starting camp on the physically-unable-to-perform list. Both are viable starting options when healthy, as Baker has started plenty for the Tennessee Titans the past couple of seasons and Duck was bound to start the 2025 season as a starter before multiple injuries derailed his second professional campaign.
Chris Johnson was selected with the latter of two first-round picks in April, and he should figure to carve out a role, at least in the nickel with a chance to be one of the top two outside cornerbacks in a base look.
Young cornerbacks who return from the 2025 roster in JuJu Brents and Jason Marshall Jr. are early front-runners for those roles, but the sooner Duck and Baker can practice the better to push them. Veterans Marco Wilson and Alex Austin are others who are vying for playing time at cornerback, along with the likes of Ethan Bonner, Ethan Robinson and A.J. Green III.
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Edge rusher
This is a pivotal season for Chop Robinson, who will need to give Sullivan an enticing reason to exercise the fifth-year option on his contract next offseason. Hafley wants Robinson to become a complete edge defender, capable of setting the edge against the run while maximizing his pass-rush skills.
Josh Uche enters camp as the front-runner to start opposite Robinson. With greater opportunity, he looks to unlock his 2022 productivity, when he had double-digit sacks for the New England Patriots.
A fellow Michigan product, David Ojabo vies to finally tap into the potential he had as a prospect before a torn Achilles at his 2022 pro day in the draft process and then a torn ACL in 2023.
Other options on the edge include veterans Robert Beal Jr. and Cameron Goode, rookie seventh-round pick Max Llewellyn and fourth-round pick Trey Moore, who may also see time off the ball at linebacker.
Linebacker
The moment the Dolphins made Jacob Rodriguez their draft pick in the second round, that put Tyrel Dodson’s job at middle or Mike linebacker in conflict. Dodson, a starter last season next to All-Pro Jordyn Brooks at the Will spot, will have to hold off Rodriguez, who is the regime’s vision for a future leader and signal-caller defensively.
But maybe there are also ways to get the three of them on the field together in a base 4-3 grouping, so both Dodson and Rodriguez would have to exhibit some versatility in camp for that to flourish.
Miami wasn’t done drafting linebackers with Rodriguez. In the fourth round, the team picked up Moore, who can double as an edge rusher, and Pittsburgh’s Kyle Louis, who has versatility but as a defender who can also play safety and cover well as a “big nickel.”
Willie Gay Jr. returns as a veteran who can play that Sam or strongside linebacker role, and Ronnie Harrison Jr. also offers another experienced option.
Safety
It’s time for Dante Trader Jr. to step up and be a viable starter in his second season. He appears to have the right professional mindset and approach to take the Year 2 leap after learning from Minkah Fitzpatrick as a rookie.
Next to him, it could be Zayne Anderson, who was a serviceable backup for Sullivan and Hafley in Green Bay and filled in well when called upon while also being a strong special teams contributor. There’s veteran Lonnie Johnson Jr. and rookie fifth-round pick Michael Taaffe as other options, along with rookie Louis Moore, who was a surprise to go undrafted as an All-American on national champion Indiana.
In the trenches
The Dolphins could stick with the same initial offensive line game plan of running rookie first-round pick Kadyn Proctor out at left guard. That has Austin Jackson staying at right tackle while Jonah Savaiinaea goes to right guard, where he has more comfort, in his second season.
Linemen like Jamaree Salyer, Charlie Heck, Andrew Meyer and DJ Campbell are out to solidify reserve roles if the starting line holds together.
On the defensive line, veteran Zach Sieler is still there to anchor the group, and the Dolphins hope for development from their three second-year defensive tackles, Kenneth Grant, Jordan Phillips and Zeek Biggers.
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