The Dolphins are signing Ronnie Harrison to a one-year deal, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter, bringing the veteran linebacker to his fourth NFL team in the last five seasons and fifth in his eight-year career.
Harrison, 28, played for the Falcons in 2025, appearing in 10 games with four starts and 277 defensive snaps, 40% of the team’s total. He also played 181 snaps on special teams, the second-most involvement of his career behind 197 snaps in 2024. The 6-foot-3 linebacker held up in coverage but had the worst tackling season of his career with a 17.1% missed tackle rate.
Harrison should have an opportunity to carve out a rotational role in the Dolphins defense, especially with his previous experience as a safety. The team has Jordyn Brooks and Tyrel Dodson as their starting linebackers, but their No. 3 is unclear after K.J. Britt signed with the Patriots in free agency. Former Chiefs and Saints starter Willie Gay was active for every game last year, but he was only trusted with 131 snaps on defense with an almost-equal amount of time on special teams.
Miami has questions at safety, too, with their top three contributors from 2025 no longer on the roster. Minkah Fitzpatrick was traded to the Jets, and Ashtyn Davis and Ifeatu Melifonwu both hit free agency. Harrison has 908 career snaps at safety, per Pro Football Focus (subscription required), more than any Dolphins safety outside of recent signing Lonnie Johnson.
Originally a Jaguars third-round pick in 2018, Harrison started 22 games across his first two years in Jacksonville before he was traded to the Browns. After three years and 23 starts in Cleveland, he spent most of the 2024 season on the Colts’ practice squad before arriving in Atlanta the following year.