Miami Dolphins
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The Falcons signed a former Miami Dolphins defensive lineman
After the Miami Dolphinstraded wide receiver Jaylen Waddle to the Denver Broncos, they became the team with the highest amount of dead money on their salary cap,according to OverTheCap. This move aligns with the organizational rebuild the Dolphins are undergoing, as they look to set their salary cap and sacrifice short-term gains for long-term sustainability
In charge of Miami’s rebuild is general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan, who previously served as the Packers’ vice president of player personnel. The Packers have been the NFL’s youngest roster for three consecutive years, and Sullivan is bringing this philosophy over to Miami. The Dolphins have parted ways with most of the team’s veterans as they look to build through the draft. After the moves, the Dolphins have now entered the top 10 youngest rosters in the NFL.
As a result, plenty of teams around the league have signed ex-Dolphins players, including the Atlanta Falcons, who have signed several former members of the Dolphins.
Falcons Sign Former Miami Dolphins Defensive Lineman
The Atlanta Falcons signed former Miami Dolphins defensive lineman Da’Shawn Hand to a one-year, $3 million contract. Hand spent the 2023 and 2024 seasons with the Dolphins after signing a pair of one-year deals.
He appeared in 33 games for the Dolphins over two seasons, primarily playing on the interior of the defensive line. Hand recorded 48 tackles, including five tackles for loss, during his two seasons with the Dolphins. Following the 2024 season, Hand signed a one-year, $2.3 million contract with the Los Angeles Chargers.
Meanwhile, the Dolphins lost Hand and interior defensive lineman Calais Campbell during the 2025 offseason. They used their first-round pick on interior defensive lineman Kenneth Grant. Grant wasranked 107th out of 134 qualified defensive linemen by Pro Football Focus. Hand was ranked 64th.
The Dolphins likely could not afford to bring back Hand, as a $3 million cap hit would put him in the top 10 of active players on Miami’s roster. Grant currently has a $4.9 million cap hit in the 2026 season.
Miami Dolphins Defense
The Dolphins’ defense finished as a bottom-10 unit in points allowed during the 2025 season. As things currently stand, it’s hard to see how the defensive roster has improved. The team traded away Minkah Fitzpatrick, who was a Pro Bowl alternate during the 2025 season, and has not re-signed cornerback Rasul Douglas, who was graded as a top-20 cornerback last season.
Miami may be hoping that improvement comes from development out of a player like the previously mentioned Kenneth Grant, and an improvement due to their new head coach Jeff Hafley. Hafley was previously the defensive coordinator for the Green Bay Packers.
Another player who could improve on his disappointing 2025 season is former first-round pick Chop Robinson, who dealt with concussions, and struggled to earn playing time. He previously impressed during the 2024 season as he finished with six sacks. Following the departures of Jaelan Philipps, Matthew Judon and Bradley Chubb, Robinson should see plenty of snaps to prove the second half of his rookie season was not a fluke.