The Dolphins' Position Improvement Index

Tight end and linebacker are among the positions where the Miami Dolphins have improved the most since the end of last season

Jonnu Smith / Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports

The Miami Dolphins were very active in the offseason despite their touchy salary-cap situation, bringing in 18 veteran newcomers before adding seven draft picks.

The Dolphins managed to upgrade their roster at several different positions, though it was more difficult at other spots because of the players who left.

So where did the Dolphins improve the most? Here's our ranking of the 10 positions in terms of personnel improvement since the end of last season.

1. LINEBACKER

Who's in: Jordyn Brooks, Anthony Walker Jr., Cam Brown

Who's out: Jerome Baker

Breakdown: Brooks very well might represent an upgrade over Baker as the starter alongside David Long Jr., and Walker brings additional veteran depth.

2. FULLBACK/TIGHT END

Who's in: Jonnu Smith, Jody Fortson

Who's out: Tyler Kroft

Breakdown: The addition of Smith was big for an offense that really didn't make much use of the tight end in the passing game, as evidenced by the alarming stat of zero touchdowns by any Dolphins tight end in 2023.

3. RUNNING BACK

Who's in: Jaylen Wright

Who's out: None

Breakdown: The addition of Wright as a fourth-round pick just brings additional depth and, more importantly, more speed to the skill positions.

4. EDGE DEFENDER

Who's in: Shaquil Barrett, Chop Robinson, Mohamed Kamara

Who's out: Andrew Van Ginkel

Breakdown: Losing Van Ginkel in free agency was painful given how productive he was, but the Dolphins did a solid job of building up the depth at the position to deal with the uncertainty associated with the health status of Jaelan Phillips and Bradley Chubb.

5. WIDE RECEIVER

Who's in: Odell Beckham Jr., Malik Washington, Tahj Washington

Who's out: Cedrick Wilson Jr., Chase Claypool, Robbie Chosen

Breakdown: Beckham has the ability to give the Dolphins their best third wide option behind Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle, while the two draft picks could help more down the line.

6. QUARTERBACK

Who's in: Nobody

Who's out: Nobody

Breakdown: This is status quo from last season with Tua Tagovailoa, Mike White and Skylar Thompson, so this will be about internal improvement.

7. CORNERBACK

Who's in: Kendall Fuller, Siran Neal

Who's out: Xavien Howard, Justin Bethel, Eli Apple, Keion Crossen

Breakdown: Getting Fuller to step in as Jalen Ramsey's cornerback partner was a coup for the Dolphins once they make the salary-cap decision to release Howard. Neal should help on special teams.

8. OFFENSIVE LINE

Who's in: C/G Aaron Brewer, G/T Jack Driscoll

Who's out: G Robert Hunt, C Connor Williams, C Jonotthan Harrison

Breakdown: There's no getting around the fact the Dolphins lost some key pieces when Hunt signed with Carolina and Williams' playing status continuing to be in doubt. Brewer was a solid addition.

9. INTERIOR DEFENSIVE LINE

Who's in: Benito Jones, Teiar Tart, Jonathan Harris, Neville Gallimore, Isaiah Mack, Davyion Nixon

Who's out: Christian Wilkins, Raekwon Davis

Breakdown: This is a case of quality vs. quantity, but there's no way to think the Dolphins are as good here based on what Wilkins gave them last season.

10. SAFETY

Who's in: Jordan Poyer

Who's out: DeShon Elliott, Brandon Jones

Breakdown: Poyer has more impressive credentials than Elliott and Jones combined, but he also turned 33 last month and is coming off a season that wasn't up to his standards. The Dolphins also lost depth here with Elliott and Jones leaving for Pittsburgh and Denver, respectively.

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