Minkah Fitzpatrick, Ashtyn Davis and Ifeatu Melifonwu logged the most playing time among Dolphins safeties last year, but all three are now off the roster. The rebuilding Dolphins traded Fitzpatrick to the AFC East rival Jets a couple of days before the new league year began in March. Davis and Melifonwu hit free agency the same week, but both remain unsigned two-plus months later.
With Fitzpatrick, Davis and Melifonwu out the door, rookie head coach Jeff Hafley and defensive coordinator Sean Duggan have to find new regulars at the position. While training camp is still two months away, Dante Trader Jr. looks like the frontrunner for a starting job, according to Omar Kelly of the Miami Herald. Trader has taken “significant” snaps at OTAs and impressed in practice, per Kelly.
In what turned out to be his last draft as the Dolphins’ general manager, Chris Grier took Trader in the fifth round (No. 155) in 2025. The former Maryland Terrapin was fourth in the Dolphins’ safety pecking order in a three-start rookie season, but he got into all 17 games, combined for 681 snaps (419 on defense, 262 on special teams) and made 55 tackles. Trader finished as Pro Football Focus’ 68th-ranked safety among 91 qualifiers, wedging him between Melifonwu (53rd) and Davis (82nd). As Kelly notes, a shoulder injury hampered Trader for a portion of his rookie campaign. That is no longer an issue, evidenced by Trader’s three-interception performance in a recent practice.
Previously the Packers’ defensive coordinator, Hafley turned to safeties Xavier McKinney and Evan Williams as full-time starters last season. There is far less certainty on the back end of Miami’s defense, but it looks as if Trader will seize a starting role. He is not competing against a particularly strong group of contenders. The Dolphins’ other options include safety/linebacker Jordan Colbert and newcomers Lonnie Johnson Jr., Zayne Anderson, Omar Brown, Michael Taaffe and Louis Moore. Johnson, Anderson and Brown were all inexpensive free agent pickups. The Dolphins made an NFL-high 13 picks in last month’s draft, but they did not prioritize safety. Taaffe, a fifth-rounder, was their lone selection at the position. They added Moore as an undrafted free agent.