The Dolphins overhauled their organization by firing General Manager Chris Grier and head coach Mike McDaniel over the last year, but they’re still counting on one of the last big acquisitions made by the prior administration.
Defensive tackle Kenneth Grant was a first-round pick in 2025 and his rookie season was a bit quieter than most in Miami would have hoped. Grant played in every game as a rookie and finished the season with 33 tackles and two sacks for a defense that failed to impress in most areas.
The end of Grant’s first offseason program under new head coach Jeff Hafley comes with some hopeful notes for this fall, however. Hafley said at a Tuesday press conference that he’s seeing signs of the player that scouts thought Grant would be at the NFL level.
“I think he’s taken a step forward,” Hafley said. “I know he’s changed his body. He’s faster. He looks more like the guy I saw on his college tape, with his lateral quickness, his pass rush ability, his ability to play the run. Just the way he’s moving. I think that goes back to Year 1 — Lack of experience, lack of reps, lack of maybe a little confidence as you’re out there. Right now, he’s starting to believe in his abilities that we know that he has. Hopefully once pads come in, we’ll see that continue.”
That final line is a reminder that nothing is decided in the spring, but continued positive growth for Grant would be a boost to Hafley’s chances of success in his new job.
The Dolphins are moving into a new era with head coach Jeff Hafley and quarterback Malik Willis.
As their offseason program gets closer to its end, Hafley is feeling good about the young signal-caller.
Hafley, who was around Willis for the last two seasons with the Packers, told reporters on Tuesday that Willis has “looked as good as he’s looked since I’ve known him.”
“The conversation I had with Malik today walking down the hallway, you can see he’s more comfortable,” Hafley said, via Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. “He understands the answers being provided for him on each play.”
Willis, 27, played well when called upon as Green Bay’s backup over the last two seasons. In his 11 appearances with three starts, Willis completed 79 percent of his passes for 972 yards with six touchdowns and no interceptions. He also rushed for 261 yards with three TDs in that span.
The Seahawks took a look at a possible veteran addition to their secondary on Monday.
Mike Garafolo of NFL Media reports that they had safety Ifeatu Melifonwu in for a workout.
Melifonwu spent the 2025 season with the Dolphins and started in eight of his 16 appearances. He had 53 tackles, a sack, and an interception with Miami.
The veteran safety spent his first four seasons with the Lions. He had 72 tackles, 4.5 sacks, two interceptions, a forced fumble and two fumble recoveries during his time in Detroit.
Per Garafolo, no signing is imminent but the Seahawks could revisit adding Melifonwu in the coming weeks.
New Dolphins head coach Jeff Hafley wants his team to be good at the tush push, on both sides of the ball.
Asked about the tush push at Organized Team Activities, Hafley said he wants his defense to figure out how to stop it, and he wants quarterback Malik Willis and the Dolphins’ offensive line to figure out how to run it effectively.
“It’s hard to stop, so get good at it and do it,” Hafley said. “I mean it’s really hard to stop. So as long as it’s a legal play, we need to figure out on defense a way to stop it. And with a quarterback like we have with Malik, and some big guys up front, maybe we can get good at it.”
Last offseason, all the talk in the NFL was about whether to stop the tush push by changing the rules. But when that proposal failed, it became clear that the play is here to stay, and smart teams need to be ready for it.
The Dolphins have gotten their entire 2026 draft class under contract.
Miami announced on Thursday that the club has signed first-round pick Chris Johnson and fifth-round pick Seydou Traore.
All 13 members of Miami’s large class from this year have now put pen to paper.
Johnson, a cornerback out of San Diego State, was the team’s second of two first-round picks, coming off the board at No. 27 overall.
Traore, a tight end, was the No. 180 overall selection in the fifth round. The pick originally belonged to the Cowboys.
Offensive lineman Kadyn Proctor, Miami’s first pick at No. 12 overall, signed his contract earlier this week.
