Dolphins Notes: Rodriguez, Johnson, Savaiinaea, Free Agency

The rebuilding Dolphins entered the draft with a roster in serious need of upgrades all over the field. After making a league-high 13 picks, they emerged from the proceedings with at least a few players who could start right away. That includes second-round linebacker Jacob Rodriguez, who is “likely” to compete with Tyrel Dodson for a starting job, per Omar Kelly of the Miami Herald.

Rodriguez, whom the Dolphins chose 43rd overall, came off the board early after a stellar couple of years at Texas Tech. The 6-foot-1, 231-pounder had a breakout 2024 in which he racked up 127 tackles, five sacks and three forced fumbles in 14 games. He was even more productive last season, during which he recorded 128 tackles, a whopping seven forced fumbles and four interceptions. Rodriguez earned major accolades as a result. Along with finishing fifth in Heisman Trophy voting, he was a unanimous All-American who won Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year, the Bronko Nagurski Trophy (nation’s best defender) and the Butkus Award (nation’s top LB), among other honors.

Already set to turn 24 on Sept. 2, it would not be a surprise if Rodriguez immediately steps in next to Jordyn Brooks to comprise the Dolphins’ top linebacker duo. That would mean a contract-year demotion for Dodson, who had his best statistical showing in 2025. Playing 84.97% of the Dolphins’ defensive snaps, the six-year veteran logged career highs in starts (16), tackles (129), TFL (10) and sacks (five). Although his traditional numbers were solid, Pro Football Focus was not enamored of Dodson’s performance. PFF ranked Dodson 61st among 88 off-ball LBs.

Shifting to Miami’s secondary, first-round cornerback Chris Johnson looks like a lock to earn significant playing time from the get-go. The Dolphins traded up from 30 to 27 to draft the former San Diego State standout, who primarily lined up on the outside during his four college seasons. Johnson could be in for a role change in Miami, which is likely to deploy the 6-foot, 195-pounder as its nickel corner, according to Kelly. It is unclear who will start on the outside, but Storm Duck, JuJu Brents and free agent pickups Darrell Baker Jr. and Marco Wilson are among the Dolphins’ experienced options. Duck and Brents did not factor in much during injury-ruined years in 2025. Jack Jones and Rasul Douglas ended up leading Miami’s corners in snaps by a wide margin, but both players are now out of the organization.

Turning to the offensive side of the ball, the Dolphins are planning an open competition at both guard spots, Kelly reports. Rookie Kadyn Proctor, the Dolphins’ first pick (12th overall), is expected to win the left guard battle. There are still questions on the right side, where the Dolphins lost Cole Strange to the Chargers in free agency.

As a second-round rookie last year, left guard Jonah Savaiinaea was the only Dolphins lineman to take the field for every offensive snap. However, PFF rated his play dead last among 79 qualifiers. His pass-blocking grade (14.1) was easily the worst at his position. The Dolphins do not want a repeat of that, especially after they brought in new starting quarterback Malik Willis on a three-year, $67.5MM deal in free agency. Savaiiinea will need to show obvious improvement this summer to claim the No. 1 right guard spot.

With the draft in the books, it appears the Dolphins’ offseason roster building is all but done. The team stayed in contact with some “top” available free agents before the draft, per Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald, but first-year general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan said afterward he is not anticipating any “big-ticket” signings (via Marcel Louis-Jacques of ESPN). That is not a surprise, as the Dolphins are last in the league in cap space. Sullivan and rookie head coach Jeff Hafley only have around $1.8MM at their disposal.