Dolphins hope Marshall plan pays dividends. And Ferrell elevated, more news

Miami Dolphins admin September 12, 2026 0 Comments

Dolphins hope Marshall plan pays dividends. And Ferrell elevated, more news

The new Dolphins regime made a sensible decision by moving second-year players Jonah Savaiinaea and Jason Marshall Jr. back to their college positions.

Now the onus is on both to prove they’re NFL starters — Savaiinaea at right guard (after playing left guard as a rookie) and Marshall at boundary cornerback (after playing a lot in the slot last season, mostly by necessity).

Coach Jeff Hafley made clear last week that Marshall is best equipped to play on the outside, and that’s where he will be used. Marshall was happy to hear that.

“Definitely,” he said. Playing outside is “where I came in at. Obviously I moved inside to help the team. [But] outside is my natural position. Being out there, I’m more comfortable, more relaxed, able to play my game.”

The Dolphins moved Marshall to the slot last season, even though he never played that at UF, after losing Kader Kohou to a season-ending knee injury in training camp and after coming to the conclusion that veteran training camp addition Mike Hilton wouldn’t be on the team.

Marshall said “the experience of playing inside” ultimately helped him as a run-defender and gave him better perspective on the cornerback position in general.

In 12 games (one start) and 242 defensive snaps, Marshall allowed a 109.5 passer rating in his coverage area: 20 completions in 28 targets for 262 yards, two touchdowns and one interception.

Where, specifically, must he improve?

“Press coverage,” he said. “Being more comfortable at that and reading different route concepts.”

He’ll now get his chance, playing with JuJu Brents and Chris Johnson when the team has three cornerbacks on the field at once.

“He’s got really good movement skills,” Dolphins defensive backs coach Ryan Downard said “He’s a really good cover corner.”

Here’s more on where Savaiinaea stands after a good training camp and one preseason appearance.

Ferrell elevated

The Dolphins elevated Clelin Ferrell from the practice squad on Saturday, giving them a fifth available edge player for Sunday’s opener at Las Vegas (4:25 p.m., Fox). Ferrell will play against a Raiders organization that drafted him fourth overall in 2019.

The Dolphins have four edge players on the 53-man roster: starters Chop Robinson and Josh Uche and backups Robert Beal Jr. and Malik Herring, who was signed nearly two weeks ago when the Chiefs released him.

Ferrell, who signed with Miami on July 27 and spent training camp with the team, has appeared in 98 NFL games with 57 starts, and has 21 career sacks. By comparison, the backup edge players on the 53 — Beal and Herring — have 2.5 combined career sacks.

Louis role

General manager Jon-Eric Sullivan said recently that Kyle Louis’ initial role will be on special teams. Louis began camp as an inside linebacker and is now the No. 4 safety, behind Dante Trader Jr., Zayne Anderson and rookie Michael Taaffe.

Downard said Louis has “got to get used to playing with depth, [understand] how to play safety, the different disguises we deploy. He brings an element of physicality to the room.”

▪ In anticipation of a raucous crowd at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Hafley pumped in crowd noise at practice this week because “you need to try to simulate the environment that you’re going to play in. We have three rookie wide receivers standing out there; they might not even be able to hear each other, so we’ve got to learn how to communicate.”

▪ Though the Dolphins want quarterback Malik Willis to maximize his above-average running skills, they also want him to do it prudently.

“We need to win the game, and we’re going to do everything we can to win the game,” offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik said. “We also need to make sure he stays healthy. And that balance is going to fluctuate as we go through the whole season.”

Willis has averaged 5.5 per carry in his career (74 for 405). Conversely, former Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa has averaged 2.7 yards per carry on 173 career attempts.

▪ Dolphins executive Jon-Eric Sullivan was expected to be the only NFL general manager in attendance for Saturday night’s Ohio State-at-Texas game, per ESPN’s Pete Thamel. Both teams have a slew of NFL prospects, including Texas quarterback Arch Manning and Ohio State receiver Jeremiah Smith.

This story was originally published September 12, 2026 at 2:28 PM.