Football

Ranking the Most Important Dolphins Players 76-80: Young DTs Face Uphill Battle

By Alain Poupart Sports Illustrated

Updated June 19, 2026 1:07 PM

The Miami Dolphins will head into training camp at the end of July with a totally different roster than the one that ended the 2025 season after an offseason overhaul that saw the departure of several significant veterans and the arrival of newcomers young and old.

After their roster moves Monday, followed by the signing of former UFL tackle Gottlieb Ayedze on Wednesday, the Dolphins have 91 players on their roster with the exemption they have for England-born rookie tight end Seydou Traore, a participant of the International Player Pathway Program.

As life goes in the NFL, no every player on the roster is equal, so we decided to rank all of them in terms of their importance to the Dolphins' success in the 2026 season. The list was determined on the basis of not just ability but also expected role and significance to the overall progress of the organization as it continues the rebuilding project that began with the hiring of Jon-Eric Sullivan as GM and Jeff Hafley as head coach.

This is part of a series that will run in the lead-up to start of training camp.

RANKING PLAYERS 76-80

80. DT Alex Huntley

As we mentioned in an earlier segment, it's going to be difficult for any young defensive tackle to make the roster plus have a big role with three 2025 draft picks returning alongside Zach Sieler. That goes for Huntley, who's back after spending last season on the practice squad.

79. T Marques Cox

Cox is a second-year player who spent time with the Broncos and Cardinals practice squad as a rookie in 2025, but then was waived by Denver in May after being signed to a future contract. This doesn't bode well for his chances to make the roster, and the Dolphins have a lot of other options at tackle.

78. EDGE Rodney McGraw

The Dolphins might have a spot available for an edge defender, but McGraw faces the same long odds as every other undrafted rookie free agent faces. He'll need a really strong performance in training camp to get noticed.

77. TE Cole Turner

The Dolphins loaded up on tight ends in the offseason, re-signing Greg Dulcich to the biggest contract (not including extensions) given to anyone not named Malik Willis, added Ben Sims as a veteran UFA, and then drafted Will Kacmarek and Traore before the end of Round 5. Those four look like the clear top choices at tight end, though Turner does have 23 games of NFL experience.

76. DT Khalil Saunders

Same old story at defensive tackle, where Saunders also will have to overcome (along with the three 2025 draft picks and Sieler) fellow undrafted rookie free agent Rene Konga. And an indication of the standing of each player - not that it will be the final determining factor if the choice is between those two - is that Konga got about $250,000 guaranteed on his rookie deal, per Over The Cap, while Saunders didn't get any guarantees.

This story was originally published June 19, 2026 at 1:00 PM.