{"id":1062,"date":"2026-05-19T05:34:47","date_gmt":"2026-05-19T05:34:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/?p=1062"},"modified":"2026-05-19T05:34:47","modified_gmt":"2026-05-19T05:34:47","slug":"chris-perkins-dolphins-veterans-have-a-valuable-role-in-this-rebuild","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/?p=1062","title":{"rendered":"Chris Perkins: Dolphins\u2019 veterans have a valuable role in this rebuild"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\n

MIAMI GARDENS \u2014 You hope that there\u2019s a lot of teaching going on at the Miami Dolphins\u2019 organized team activities. I\u2019m not talking about coach-to-player teaching, I\u2019m talking about veteran-to-youngster teaching.<\/span><\/p>\n

Read more Daily Horoscope for May 19, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

The rebuilding Dolphins, by design, are young. They need vets to set examples, starting with this week\u2019s OTAs (the media only gets to watch Tuesday\u2019s session this week) and continuing through the season.<\/span><\/p>\n

By my count, the Dolphins have 87 non-special teams players on their 91-man roster (they get an exemption because rookie tight end Seydou Traore is an international pathway player). Only two of those 87 players \u2014 defensive tackle Zach Sieler and safety Lonnie Johnson \u2014 are 30 or older, while 29 of those 87 players (one third) are 24 or younger. Only three players have eight or more years of experience, and a mere 10 players have six or more years of experience.<\/span><\/p>\n

Contrast that with the 2023 Dolphins, who were the oldest team in the playoffs.<\/span><\/p>\n

The 2026 Dolphins need veterans such as Sieler, Johnson, center Aaron Brewer, linebackers Jordyn Brooks, Tyrel Dodson, Willie Gay Jr. and Ronnie Harrison Jr., offensive tackles Austin Jackson and Charlie Heck, and edge rusher Josh Uche to take on expanded teaching roles if this rebuild is going to work.<\/span><\/p>\n

Veterans must teach youngsters substance as well as nuance. It\u2019s not just how to hit the blocking sled, it\u2019s also how to take notes during meetings. It\u2019s the importance of yoga, massages, diet and rest. It\u2019s how to balance family\/relationships with professional responsibilities.<\/span><\/p>\n

Quarterbacks coach Bush Hamdan was in Atlanta in 2017 when the Faclons earned a wild-card playoff berth behind veteran quarterback Matt Ryan, the year he was sixth in passing yards (4,095) with 20 touchdowns and 12 interceptions.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI never lose that thought of what Matt Ryan did from a day-to-day standpoint,\u201d Hamdan said. \u201cI don\u2019t know if there was anybody I\u2019ve ever been around who was more regimented and knew exactly what he needed to get done.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

Every successful team I\u2019ve ever covered whether it was the 1996 Texas Rangers, who made the postseason for the first time in franchise history, snapping a 36-year playoff appearance drought, the 2000 Dolphins, the last team in franchise history to win a postseason game, or the 2006 NBA champion Miami Heat, the first title-winning team in franchise history, had strong veteran leadership.<\/span><\/p>\n

The recent Super Bowl champions \u2014 the Seattle Seahawks this year, Philadelphia Eagles last year, Kansas City Chiefs three years ago \u2014 had strong veteran leadership.<\/span><\/p>\n

With the 2000 Dolphins, vets such as offensive tackle Richmond Webb and defensive end Trace Armstrong taught younger players such as Hall of Fame defensive end Jason Taylor, Hall of Fame linebacker Zach Thomas and emerging cornerbacks Sam Madison and Patrick Surtain.<\/span><\/p>\n

Read more Walt Disney World\u2019s new president started as Jungle Cruise skipper<\/a><\/p>\n

It\u2019s one thing for youngsters to hear it from coaches, but it\u2019s another to see it from vets who have made it work to their advantage for years.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

The biggest veteran teaching jobs for the 2026 Dolphins will likely be in the trenches, the offensive and defensive lines.<\/span><\/p>\n

That\u2019s an area that general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan and coach Jeff Hafley want to focus, and, fortunately, it\u2019s an area where the Dolphins have vets who can counsel the youngsters, unlike other key positions such as quarterback or wide receiver.<\/span><\/p>\n

Offensive line coach Zach Yenser coached influential veteran offensive tackles Trent Williams and Joe Staley in San Francisco, and Laremy Tunsil, the former Dolphins first-round pick, in Houston.<\/span><\/p>\n

Their on-field contributions were great, but their off-field contributions were just as valuable because they set a high standard for youngsters on how they should approach the game.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat really stuck out with me for both those guys was just their leadership in the (meeting) room,\u201d Yenser said of Williams and Tunsil. \u201cAnd you can throw Joe Staley in there, too. \u2026 He was in the front row ready to take notes in his 13th year, just that mentality of just how that room ran because of that. Same thing with Trent and same thing with L.T. in Houston.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Yenser sees a parallel between those guys and Brewer.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe guys look up to him,\u201d Yenser said. \u201cHe obviously is playing really good football and I put him in that type of player for our room.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

A successful rebuild has many facets. With this Dolphins\u2019 rebuild, don\u2019t discount the importance of veterans teaching youngsters.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Read more NextEra, Dominion want to create a massive power company as AI drives energy demand in the US<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Miami Dolphins veterans must teach youngsters substance as well as nuance. It\u2019s not just how to hit the blocking sled, it\u2019s also how to take notes during meetings and the importance of yoga, massages, diet and rest.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1061,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[63,52,6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1062","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-miami-dolphins","category-nfl","category-sports"],"yoast_head":"\nChris Perkins: Dolphins\u2019 veterans have a valuable role in this rebuild - Orlando Relocation Report<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/?p=1062\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Chris Perkins: Dolphins\u2019 veterans have a valuable role in this rebuild - Orlando Relocation Report\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Miami Dolphins veterans must teach youngsters substance as well as nuance. It\u2019s not just how to hit the blocking sled, it\u2019s also how to take notes during meetings and the importance of yoga, massages, diet and rest.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/?p=1062\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Orlando Relocation Report\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-05-19T05:34:47+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/orlandorelocationreport.com\\\/?p=1062#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/orlandorelocationreport.com\\\/?p=1062\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/orlandorelocationreport.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/47d95744296542489ff5c4bd403450f8\"},\"headline\":\"Chris Perkins: Dolphins\u2019 veterans have a valuable role in this rebuild\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-05-19T05:34:47+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/orlandorelocationreport.com\\\/?p=1062\"},\"wordCount\":773,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/orlandorelocationreport.com\\\/?p=1062#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/orlandorelocationreport.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/867b8e4746f9e0a95881a3513f024215.webp\",\"articleSection\":[\"Miami Dolphins\",\"NFL\",\"Sports\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/orlandorelocationreport.com\\\/?p=1062#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/orlandorelocationreport.com\\\/?p=1062\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/orlandorelocationreport.com\\\/?p=1062\",\"name\":\"Chris Perkins: Dolphins\u2019 veterans have a valuable role in this rebuild - Orlando Relocation Report\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/orlandorelocationreport.com\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/orlandorelocationreport.com\\\/?p=1062#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/orlandorelocationreport.com\\\/?p=1062#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/orlandorelocationreport.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/867b8e4746f9e0a95881a3513f024215.webp\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-05-19T05:34:47+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/orlandorelocationreport.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/47d95744296542489ff5c4bd403450f8\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/orlandorelocationreport.com\\\/?p=1062#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/orlandorelocationreport.com\\\/?p=1062\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/orlandorelocationreport.com\\\/?p=1062#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/orlandorelocationreport.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/867b8e4746f9e0a95881a3513f024215.webp\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/orlandorelocationreport.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/867b8e4746f9e0a95881a3513f024215.webp\",\"width\":1024,\"height\":737},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/orlandorelocationreport.com\\\/?p=1062#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/orlandorelocationreport.com\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Chris Perkins: Dolphins\u2019 veterans have a valuable role in this rebuild\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/orlandorelocationreport.com\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/orlandorelocationreport.com\\\/\",\"name\":\"Orlando Relocation Report\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/orlandorelocationreport.com\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/orlandorelocationreport.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/47d95744296542489ff5c4bd403450f8\",\"name\":\"admin\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"admin\"},\"sameAs\":[\"http:\\\/\\\/orlandorelocationreport.com\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/orlandorelocationreport.com\\\/?author=1\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Chris Perkins: Dolphins\u2019 veterans have a valuable role in this rebuild - Orlando Relocation Report","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/?p=1062","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Chris Perkins: Dolphins\u2019 veterans have a valuable role in this rebuild - Orlando Relocation Report","og_description":"Miami Dolphins veterans must teach youngsters substance as well as nuance. It\u2019s not just how to hit the blocking sled, it\u2019s also how to take notes during meetings and the importance of yoga, massages, diet and rest.","og_url":"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/?p=1062","og_site_name":"Orlando Relocation Report","article_published_time":"2026-05-19T05:34:47+00:00","author":"admin","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"admin","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/?p=1062#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/?p=1062"},"author":{"name":"admin","@id":"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/#\/schema\/person\/47d95744296542489ff5c4bd403450f8"},"headline":"Chris Perkins: Dolphins\u2019 veterans have a valuable role in this rebuild","datePublished":"2026-05-19T05:34:47+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/?p=1062"},"wordCount":773,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/?p=1062#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/867b8e4746f9e0a95881a3513f024215.webp","articleSection":["Miami Dolphins","NFL","Sports"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/?p=1062#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/?p=1062","url":"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/?p=1062","name":"Chris Perkins: Dolphins\u2019 veterans have a valuable role in this rebuild - Orlando Relocation Report","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/?p=1062#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/?p=1062#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/867b8e4746f9e0a95881a3513f024215.webp","datePublished":"2026-05-19T05:34:47+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/#\/schema\/person\/47d95744296542489ff5c4bd403450f8"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/?p=1062#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/?p=1062"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/?p=1062#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/867b8e4746f9e0a95881a3513f024215.webp","contentUrl":"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/867b8e4746f9e0a95881a3513f024215.webp","width":1024,"height":737},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/?p=1062#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Chris Perkins: Dolphins\u2019 veterans have a valuable role in this rebuild"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/","name":"Orlando Relocation Report","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/#\/schema\/person\/47d95744296542489ff5c4bd403450f8","name":"admin","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"admin"},"sameAs":["http:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com"],"url":"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/?author=1"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1062","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1062"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1062\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1061"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1062"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1062"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1062"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}