Dolphins Players Landing on All-Backup Team Prove to Improved Depth
· Yahoo Sports
Depth can make or break a season, and the Miami Dolphins have been a team that has suffered greatly from health issues, and the overall quality of the backups has been lacking. Now, it seems that is starting to change.
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General manager Jon-Eric Sullivan preached ensuring the Dolphins were set to build through the draft and infuse the team with competition, and that has certainly been the case thus far. That is especially true following two Miami players landing on the All-Backup Team.
ESPN's Bill Barnwell put together a 53-man roster using just backup players from teams, and two Dolphins players have landed on that list: offensive lineman Jamaree Salyer and kicker Zane Gonzalez.
"Let's get the kicker off the board! The Dolphins are one of the few teams with two veteran kickers on their roster, so Gonzalez is an easy pick for us after hitting 86.4% of his attempts last season in Atlanta. Salyer is a swing tackle who did a solid job at left tackle as a rookie in 2022 with the Chargers; having a sixth or seventh lineman with real experience on the blind side is a relative luxury," Barnwell wrote.
Salyer is a strong swing tackle who could be a player to watch out for a starting job. Though he is clearly a backup on the team, he may be called into action if Austin Jackson does not stay healthy.
Salyer is likely to be a strong rotational player as well, and one the Dolphins could rely on in a major way should other injuries occur on the line.
Gonzalez is also a wild card for the Miami special teams unit, as he is the current backup to Riley Patterson. Patterson set the franchise accuracy record in 2025 with a 93.1 accuracy percentage, though this does not guarantee his starting spot.
It is highly unlikely that Patterson will get unseated, and Gonzalez could theoretically be kept on the roster, though that is also highly unlikely.
Teams often head into the regular season with only one kicker, but the Dolphins clearly have some strong depth pieces who will also push the other players for their starting role.
Sullivan and head coach Jeff Hafley have preached that there will be competition at every level, and they have stuck true to their word. The fact that Gonzalez remains on the team is a clear indicator of just that.
Again, Patterson is the favorite to land the starting role, but there is no guarantee that he can't lose it to Gonzalez. They will both kick it out in training camp to determine the true winner.
Gonzalez also kicked 86.4 percent in 2025, which is nothing to scoff at.
Salyer could also be in the same boat to step in should Jackson be injured, or anyone else on the line. If he plays well enough, he might also stay on the line through the regular season.
A lot can happen for this Dolphins team through training camp, which is full of potential big roster battles. At the very least, depth is clearly becoming much better.