MIAMI GARDENS — New Miami Dolphins coach Jeff Hafley has made a couple of things clear when it comes to his defensive fronts.
He wants to generally be based out of the 4-3 alignment, with four down linemen and three linebackers, but he wants edge defenders who can both put their hand in the ground as a traditional defensive end and stand up like an outside linebacker.
As 2024 first-round pick Chop Robinson may line up with his hand in the ground more often, albeit something he did some in limited opportunities in 2025, it could help unlock a new level for the pass-rusher who left some production on the table last season.
“I think he’s definitely more comfortable in the 3-point stance. I think he’ll probably tell you that,” said Dolphins defensive line coach Austin Clark, who is taking on a larger role with edge defenders in the new defense under Hafley. “Coming out of hips, playing with great eyes, those are a couple of little things he’s working on, and I think Chop’s done a great job to this point.”
Defensive coordinator Sean Duggan said Wednesday edge rushers will be asked to line up in both positions.
“I think guys are going to have to be able to do three-down, get down to three-point stance, and also be able to do it from the two-down,” he said. “I think a lot really goes into that. It depends on the player. What are they comfortable with? What’s the situation, is probably where it starts. Is it early down, is there somebody who could crack me, is it third down? We want them to be comfortable. Get in your best stance to get the best get-off you can while maintaining low pad level.”
The shift can work wonders for Robinson, who had four sacks last season and 10 between his first two seasons.
“I think he can benefit a lot,” Duggan said. “From your stance to where your eyes are to your hand placement, just a lot goes into that. Whether it’s setting the edge on early down, having a great get-off on third down; it starts with a stance and then you build it from there with eyes and hand placement. Where do my feet need to go? So, I think it can benefit him a lot.”
With Robinson, Josh Uche, David Ojabo, Robert Beal Jr. and rookies Trey Moore and Max Llewellyn among options at the position, the unit needs to set the edge to help in run defense.
“The biggest thing for most of our guys is taking care of the man you’re aligned with,” Clark said. “In terms of eye discipline, when it comes to edge-setting, that’s of utmost importance.”
Linebackers in the 4-3
Linebackers coach Al Washington said he’s not certain how often the Dolphins will take the field in their base 4-3 defense.
“Only thing I can tell you is offenses dictate defenses,” he said. “The multiplicity that we play I think will be driven by what we’re facing.”
A traditional 4-3 defense features the middle (Mike), strongside (Sam) and weakside (Will) linebackers.
Miami’s top candidates for those spots appears to be veteran Tyrel Dodson in the middle, All-Pro Jordyn Brooks or rookie Jacob Rodriguez on the weakside and veteran Willie Gay Jr. on the strongside.
“I feel like there’s a lot of similar traits for each linebacker, the Sam and the Will, the way we’re built right now,” Washington said.
Gay seems to be the designated strongside linebacker.
“If you’re a strong side linebacker, just generally speaking,” Washington began, “I think you have to have some, some power, some strength, meaning you’re to the run tilt, so you have to be at the point of contact … Willie Gay is violence, embodied violence. Like I love him.”
Washington said it’s too early to say that Dodson, Brooks and Rodriguez would be on the field together in a sort of nontraditional/hybrid lineup. But he didn’t rule it out as a possibility.
Special teams chatter
Dolphins special teams coordinator Chris Tabor said competition will bring out the best in kickers Riley Patterson and Zane Gonzalez ahead of the coming season.
Patterson has to earn his role again although he converted on 27 of 29 field goals last season, filling in admirably for the injured Jason Sanders.
“Riley doesn’t mind,” Tabor said. “Obviously, he had a great year and he’s a really good player, as is Zane. But I think, if you looked at both of their careers, they’ve competed against a lot of guys all the time, so I think that’s nothing new. I think any competitor will say, ‘If I’m in a competition, I play better.’ ”
Tabor has previous experience coaching Gonzalez.
“He’s changed,” Tabor said. “When we drafted him in Cleveland, his stance and everything, his approach, how he does things, you see it. I’m dealing with an older player now as opposed to a rookie.”
The special teams unit previously had extra options at punter and long snapper. Ultimately, punter Bradley Pinion and long snapper Tucker Addington outlasted Seth Vernon and Taybor Pepper, respectively. Tabor called it a numbers game, as the team opted to squeeze additional undrafted rookies onto the roster.
No international travel
The Dolphins will not be leaving the United States in the 2026 season.
They were not selected among teams to play in any of the NFL’s nine international matches across four continents. Those matchups were announced in full Wednesday morning ahead of the full schedule release Thursday night.
With home and road opponents already known for the Dolphins but not dates and times, the only game that was up for a move abroad was Miami’s away contest against the San Francisco 49ers, who are bound to host a game in Mexico City in November. The league put the Minnesota Vikings into that pairing.