No, the season is not over just because Calais Campbell signed with the Arizona Cardinals.
Panic. That seems to be the go-to reaction for every single move the Miami Dolphins make – or – in this case – did not make. The team may as well not even get on the field in September because the 2025 offseason is an abject failure. Whatever the last move made was, that is the deciding factor in Miami’s future. We are living and dying in recency bias.
The latest thing to spin reactions into panic mode is defensive lineman Calais Campbell signing with the Arizona Cardinals. Joining the Dolphins on a one-year deal last season, Campbell is entering his 18th season in the NFL, and if he chose not to retire, Miami was hopeful that he would return to South Florida. Instead, he is returning to where his NFL career began. It feels like he is getting a full-circle moment as his career comes to an end.
Good for Campbell.
For the Dolphins, obviously this means the end of the year. Pack it up and wait for 2026.
Campbell was a force for the Dolphins. He was someone I wanted the team to bing back. He fills a big hole on the defense – literally and figuratively. He was an important piece of the 2024 Dolphins – and now they will not have him in 2025.
Bring on the panic.
Campbell started all 17 games for the Dolphins in 2024. He played 615 snaps, putting him on the field for 58 percent of the time. Miami needs to find a way to fill those 615 snaps with a quality option, but it does not need to be one player and not having Campbell does not torpedo Miami’s 2025 season.
I am pretty sure the calendar just turned to April. September is a long way off.
And, just a reminder, Campbell did not sign with the Dolphins until June last year. At this time last season, Miami had no idea they would even have Campbell on the roster in 2024.
The Dolphins’ 2025 depth chart includes four defensive lineman right now. Zach Sieler headlines the group, with Benito Jones re-signed as the presumed starting nose tackle. Matt Dickerson and Neil Farrell round out the group. There are depth concerns there, but even with Campbell, that would likely have been true.
Sieler played 748 snaps last year for the Dolphins. Jones was on the field 481 times, while Farrell added 65 snaps. Dickerson was only on the field 15 times. When you add in the free agency losses of Da’Shawn Hand (563 snaps) and Brandon Pili (69 snaps), Miami has to find 1,247 defensive snaps to make up for the losses.
But it is also ignoring another factor in Miami’s defensive system. Officially, they are listed as a 3-4 base defense, but they sure looked a lot like a 4-3 system last year. There seemed to always be an “outside linebacker” playing with their hand in the dirt as a defensive end. The Dolphins are not against rotating players into the defensive line even though they list them as linebackers.
Players like Chop Robinson, Jalen Phillips, and Bradley Chubb could be defensive line options as the team works to round out the group. Linebacker/defensive end Emmanuel Ogbah is still a free agent and could be re-signed to add another option, especially given his strength as a hand-in-the-dirt defensive end.
The Dolphins could still be looking to add a defensive tackle in fee agency. They could also target the position in the 2025 NFL Draft. Maybe they like a veteran, but wait to see what happens in the draft. Maybe they wait to sign a veteran free agent after the compensatory pick period ends on the Monday after the draft – choosing to not risk the pick they likely will receive in 2026 for the loss of safety Jevon Holland this year.
The defensive line was a need for the Dolphins heading into the draft – even if they had re-signed Campbell. Not bringing him back does not elevate that to their top need, but it does give it a little more urgency. This year’s draft is expected to be deep at both interior defensive line and edge rushers. This is the year to solidify the defensive line of scrimmage, and the Dolphins may be in a perfect position to do just that.
Players like Mason Graham, Kenneth Grant, Derrick Harmon, Tyleik Williams, and Walter Noen could all be first-round picks. T.J. Sanders, Dairus Alexander, Alfred Collins, Shemar Turner, Done Walker, Joshua Farmer, CJ West, and Omar Norman-Lott could all be second-day picks.
There are options for the Dolphins. Campbell’s presence on the roster would have been nice – but it is not the make-or-break decision of the year for Miami. There is no reason to panic. It is April. It will be okay.