
Miami Minicamp Confidential: LB Tyrel Dodson heads into first full season in South Florida
Miami Minicamp Confidential: LB Tyrel Dodson heads into first full season in South Florida
The Miami Dolphins start mandatory minicamp this week. It will be the first in South Florida for a returning signee from the middle of last season, linebacker Tyrel Dodson.
Playing eight games for the Dolphins after claiming him off waivers from the Seattle Seahawks, Dodson will stay in Miami Gardens after inking a two-year contract in the offseason, worth $6.25 million
Dodson played outstanding football in his appearances, which included three starts. The coverage aspect of his game was on display, tallying three interceptions from Week 11 through Week 18.
The trio of picks was the most from a linebacker during the 2024 season, and in the timeframe with the Dolphins, just five other defenders overall recorded at least three interceptions. He also was able to rack up four passes defended with Miami and six total on the season.
In addition to his coverage skills, Dodson showed he could get to the quarterback as well, notching a pair of sacks back in Seattle in the first half of 2024.
As a tackler, Dodson racked up 15 against the Cleveland Browns in a 20-3 Week 17 Dolphins victory. That performance featured the most single-game tackles by a Miami player since 2020 when linebacker Jerome Baker had 16 against the New England Patriots in the season opener. With his interception against the Browns in that same game, Dodson became the first Miami player to record 15 tackles along with a pick since 1994.
Dodson put together a very respectable season across his play with both teams, finishing the season with a career-high 107 tackles along with five tackles for loss and four quarterback hits in addition to his work in coverage.
Dodson held quarterbacks to a career-best 66.7 passer rating through his eight games with Miami, and 77.2 on the season when factoring in his work in Seattle. His previous seasonal best in this metric was his rookie season at 87.2.
Entering his sixth year in the NFL, Dodson was undrafted in 2020 out of Texas Tech and signed with the Buffalo Bills as a rookie. Mainly a special teamer in Western New York across his four seasons with Buffalo, Dodson showed sparks of his potential in the Pacific Northwest with Seattle, playing 98% of the defensive snaps in his nine games with the Seahawks.
His first games with Miami last year plus a multi-year contract should send him into the 2025 season with momentum. However, the Dolphins also signed veteran free agent linebackers K.J. Britt as well as Willie Gay, Jr. this offseason, so Dodson still has some work to do to solidify a starting spot, or at worst, significant snaps.
At this moment, you can pencil in Dodson to pair with Jordyn Brooks as inside linebackers, who also was a standout player in his first season in Miami.
The middle of the second phase of defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver's unit will be crucial this season. Weaver's defense is a group that on paper is superior in talent within the front-seven as opposed to the secondary.
Dodson and the Dolphins hold mini-camp on Tuesday, June 10 through Thursday, June 12.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles

Miami Herald
2 hours ago
- Miami Herald
Why Jaelan Phillips' injury history has prepared him for a critical 2025 season
The last couple of years have been rather rough for Jaelan Phillips. After a solid, two-year start to his NFL career, the Miami Dolphins edge rusher suffered a ruptured Achilles that prematurely ended his 2023 season in Week 12. Then, after an arduous rehab, Phillips returned at the start of 2024 — only to play four games before safety Jordan Poyer flew into his leg against the Buffalo Bills, tearing his ACL. Most people would have contemplated retirement, succumbing to the sadness of back-to-back major injuries. Phillips, however, isn't most people. The biggest hurdle was 'finding the balance of obviously being locked in, staying on top of the recovery but also giving myself a little bit of grace and a little bit of break,' Phillips said Wednesday. 'Obviously I went through a lot these last couple of years so I felt like I needed to take a little bit of time to kind of regather myself and then it allowed me to come back with a lot more clarity and focus and motivation.' With both the ACL and Achilles healed, Phillips will look to complete his first full season since 2022. The timing, however, cannot be better as 2025 will be a contract year for the five-year veteran. And as much as this could be considered 'put up or shut up' time, Phillips' only worry is what happens between the two lines, a point of praise for coach Mike McDaniel. 'If you can't control injuries, you have to be disciplined enough not to think about it and think about your technique and fundamentals,' McDaniel said Wednesday. 'We have the appropriate person for that challenge in Jaelan Phillips.' Added Phillips: 'I'm definitely just trying to stay focused. That's all you can do — stay present, stay focused. Because obviously, it's a big year and so it's not like I'm going to ignore that fact but at the same time, I can't do anything about six or seven months from now.' Adversity, however, is nothing new to Phillips. In late 2018, the edge rusher medically retired from the University of California, Los Angeles Bruins, citing a plethora of concussions and other injuries. Phillips subsequently transferred to the University of Miami where, following a year off, he returned to the football field in 2020. 'I think I went through a lot and experienced a lot in my time at UCLA and transitioning over to Miami,' Phillips said in Jan. 2022. 'So I think that's really taught me a lot about how I want to carry myself and what impact I want to have on this world. So for me, just understanding that it's way bigger than myself and it's bigger than any on-the-field or off-the-field accomplishment I can do.' The Achilles injury seemed to provide similar clarity as 'it helped me recenter myself as a person.' 'It's just another good reminder of even when you think you've overcome adversity, something's always going to come,' Phillips said, explaining that the rehab gave him the chance to develop 'relationships' that he usually wouldn't be able to due to the intensity of the NFL schedule. 'It's just very humbling, very sobering.' Such a mindset earned him praise from fellow edge rusher Bradley Chubb who rehabbed with Phillips as the former recovered from a devastating knee injury. 'He's a warrior,' edge rusher said. 'I like to surround myself with like-minded people and I feel like I'm a warrior in terms of how I handle adversity and he's the same puts his head down and he might have a bad day or two but it never affected how he approach the work, how he approached the task.' A healthy Phillips could give the Dolphins one of the most elite defensive fronts in football. The trio of edge rushers — Phillips, Chubb and Chop Robinson — combined with defensive tackles Zach Sieler and Kenneth Grant on the inside would be a nightmare for opposing offensive coordinators nightmares in 2025, something that certainly has him and coaches alike smiling. 'It would be exciting,' Phillips said. 'Chop has been having a hell of an OTAs. His improvement from last year to this year is so noticeable. It's insane, especially if you know the nitty gritty of it. I'm really proud of Chop and really excited to see how he's going to keep progressing. Obviously Bradley looks great. I feel really good so that's going to be fun.'


CBS News
5 hours ago
- CBS News
Entering his sixth season, Miami Dolphins' Tua Tagovailoa focuses on avoiding injuries
Entering his sixth season, Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa is still trying to show he can stay healthy on a consistent basis. Tagovailoa missed six games last season because of two separate injuries and Miami finished 8-9, missing the postseason after playoff appearances the previous two years. Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa throws a pass during practice at NFL football minicamp, Tuesday, June 10, 2025, in Miami Gardens, Fla. Rebecca Blackwell / AP Tagovailoa talked about his injury history as he addressed reporters following the Dolphins' first day of minicamp at the club's practice facility Tuesday. "Doing everything I can to stay available for the guys," Tagovailoa said. "Like I said before in the past, nothing changes with that." However, for Tagovailoa and the Dolphins, staying healthy has proved challenging since the club drafted him as the fifth overall selection in 2020. With the exception of his standout season in 2023, Tagovailoa has dealt with multiple injuries, including concussions. The most recent concussion — in a Week 2 home loss against the Buffalo Bills — sidelined him for four games last season. Tagovailoa scrambled for yardage then collided head-first with Bills safety Damar Hamlin. "I would say the longevity for me to be on the field with my guys is more important than whatever that one play is," Tagovailoa said. "You have more quarters than there would be with just that one play. "I show the guys that I'm competitive and I know they know that. It's just a nature thing. It comes natural to me to compete in that sense. And that's the thing I fight with." The Dolphins were 1-3 during Tagovailoa's absence with backups Skylar Thompson and Tyler Huntley. A hip injury also forced Tagovailoa to sit the final two games of the season. With Tagovailoa's long-term health remaining an issue, the Dolphins signed Zach Wilson to a one-year deal in the offseason. Wilson, the No. 2 overall selection in the 2021 draft, is attempting to jump-start his career after three unsuccessful seasons with the New York Jets and one year while backing up Bo Nix in Denver. The quarterback depth chart also includes rookie Quinn Ewers, whom the Dolphins drafted in the seventh round following a standout college career. "I think it's really working out for Zach," Tagovailoa said. "For certain practices, you guys aren't allowed to see the development he's made and the strides that he's made as a player. I would say the same for Quinn as well." The Dolphins have plenty invested in Tagovailoa, who was injury-free in 2023 when he threw 29 touchdowns and for a league-high 4,624 yards. The Dolphins gave him a four-year, $212 million contract extension. Three-time All-Pro cornerback Jalen Ramsey and tight end Jonnu Smith didn't participate Tuesday. Ramsey reportedly has requested a trade, while Smith, who caught a team-high 88 passes last season, is seeking to restructure his contract.


Miami Herald
7 hours ago
- Miami Herald
Dolphins' McDaniel addresses several key personnel issues. And a Jonnu Smith development
When Mike McDaniel was asked if there were any excused absences from the team's three-day mandatory minicamp this week, he said: 'Jalen Ramsey's absence was excused.' I've always found McDaniel to be supremely honest with reporters - as much as any coach I've covered. So I'll take McDaniel's response at face value. With that said, ESPN's Adam Schefter characterized tight end Jonnu Smith's absence differently on 'NFL Live' on Tuesday, asserting that his absence is also excused as the team seeks a trade. The Dolphins, according to Schefter, 'has given him permission and excused him from attending, so it can go ahead and look for a trade partner.' Smith wants a new contract to replace the one that will expire after this season and pay him $4.8 million this season. McDaniel and Schefter have portrayed Smith's situation someone differently, subtly so, over the past two weeks. McDaniel has said the team wants to keep Smith and the sides have been in conversations. But Schefter has reported that the team has been looking to trade him instead of giving him a new contract. Agent Drew Rosenhaus has said on his weekly WSVN-7 segment that the situation is 'fluid' and Smith prefers to remain with the Dolphins but has declined to discuss trade possibilities on his TV appearance. McDaniel has declined to say if Smith is being fined for missing the team's mandatory minicamp this week. The Dolphins and Pittsburgh have discussed a trade involving Smith. The free agent market is bereft of skilled receiving tight ends, so Miami would be in a very difficult spot at the position if it trades Smith. Jettisoning Smith would leave Miami with journeyman Pharoah Brown, Julian Hill, Tanner Conner and rookie Jalin Conyers at the position. The Dolphins could opt to renegotiate Smith's contract to allow him to remain in Miami. Both sides need each other, and when McDaniel says publicly that Miami wants to keep a player, the team usually keeps him. McDaniel addressed other issues on Wednesday: ▪ Guard James Daniels continues to work his way back from the Week 4 Achilles injury; his reps have said he will be back for the opener. McDaniel said Daniels understands 'how much we're counting on him and has done an absolutely fantastic job of phase 1 and phase 2. He couldn't just go through the motions of going through offseason tape and meetings. He had a great day on the field [Tuesday] working on individual [drills] and I can see what he's done on the field the past month' during a period when coaches were only in contact with him during off-field meetings. Daniels isn't yet participating in 11 on 11 drills. McDaniel did not say whether Daniels will play left guard or right guard but said he wants to keep rookie Jonah Savaiinaea at one spot. Those two players are expected to be the Dolphins' new starting guards barring health issues. Daniels 'is capable of doing either side, but when you have a rookie, you have to settle down rotation of movement to allow.. him to slow the game down,' McDaniel said. ▪ Receiver Tyreek Hill remains on track to be back for training camp after two wrist procedures. 'He's pushing the timetable of returning sooner and sooner,' McDaniel said. He isn't yet doing 11 on 11 work. Hill has spoken of running a 100 meter race on Friday to prepare for another race against U.S. track star Noah Lyles. Does McDaniel care if Hill does that? 'Whether he wins or loses, I won't care,' he said. 'We're locked into Dolphins football.' ▪ Linebacker Jaelan Phillips continues to work his way back from the Week 4 torn ACL and should be ready for the start of the season. Phillips' conditioning is very good, which is no surprise to his coach: 'I expected Jaelan Phillips to be in great shape and condition and continue to be the pro he is,' McDaniel said. ▪ McDaniel said first-round defensive tackle Kenneth Grant 'came in with a veteran-like understanding of needing to be 100 percent on what he's asked to do and he works endlessly. There have been ebbs and flows, like with any rookie. 'What I've seen from him is early down production, where he wins with techniques and fundamentals. And I see late down wins, where.... he uses grit and finish [ability] to make plays as well. Super happy he's on our team and not somebody's else. I know a lot of players that share the locker room with him would agree with that.' ▪ McDaniel said new receiver Nick Westbrook-Ikhine 'has already found a really cool role within the team. He's a dawg competitor that brings it each and every day. He's a guy who the core of the room can depend on. Invaluable to the team.' ▪ Players have spoken this team about the improved culture. McDaniel, on what seems to be increased accountability and potentially more effective discipline: 'I had a team meeting with guys. You can't run away from things that need to be fixed.' What were the non-negotiables rules McDaniel told the team? 'The football program has to focus on football. There are a lot of things that can't dominate peoples' time - being on time, being accountable to each other, [adhering] to rules.' He said it's OK for players to 'call each other out... as long as you change your [expletive] behavior.'