Dolphins have breakout candidate as leader in key position battle

The Miami Dolphins relied on Jevon Holland and Jordan Poyer as their starting safeties in 2024.

Both departed this offseason in free agency.

Clearly, the Dolphins need to figure out those replacements.

One guy has seized the opportunity in the early going. Ifeatu Melifonwu is the leader in the clubhouse for one of the spots, writes Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald.

Melifonwu was a superstar at Syracuse University who was once picked in the third-round by the Lions.

The Dolphins got him on a low-risk, one-year contract this offseason in free agency.

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Melifonwu has spent time in his NFL career as both a cornerback and a safety. At 6-foot-3 and 210 pounds, he's quite versatile. 

Injuries limited Melifonwu's overall effectiveness in Detroit. He played 17 games in 2023, but never played more than 10 in his other three seasons.

In that full 2023 season, he nabbed two interceptions, defensed eight passes and even had 3.0 sacks.

The Dolphins will need to keep Melifonwu on the field, and if they do, he'll have a chance to shine brightly.

But if he doesn't, Miami's secondary will be in even more trouble than it already is thanks to lack of depth and lack of comfort at the positions themselves.

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