Ranking the Most Important Dolphins Players 31-35: What Kind of Impact Can Newcomers Uche, Anderson, Tolbert Make?

The Miami Dolphins will head into training camp at the end of July with a totally different roster than the one that ended the 2025 season after an offseason overhaul that saw the departure of several significant veterans and the arrival of newcomers young and old.

After their roster moves Monday, followed by the signing of former UFL tackle Gottlieb Ayedze on Wednesday, the Dolphins have 91 players on their roster with the exemption they have for England-born rookie tight end Seydou Traore, a participant of the International Player Pathway Program.

As life goes in the NFL, no every player on the roster is equal, so we decided to rank all of them in terms of their importance to the Dolphins' success in the 2026 season. The list was determined on the basis of not just ability but also expected role and significance to the overall progress of the organization as it continues the rebuilding project that began with the hiring of Jon-Eric Sullivan as GM and Jeff Hafley as head coach.

This is part of a series that will run in the lead-up to start of training camp.

RANKING PLAYERS 31-35

35. S Zayne Anderson

Brought by Jon-Eric Sullivan and Jeff Hafley from Green Bay, Anderson definitely will have some kind of role for the Dolphins in 2026. The question is whether it will be mostly special teams or Anderson will become a factor at safety. He was primarily a special-teamer for the Packers, so maybe the safe assumption here is that's what he'll be for the Dolphins next season.

34. EDGE Josh Uche

A former second-round pick of the New England Patriots in 2020, Uche is the veteran of the edge defender group and that would suggest he'll be one of the starters at the start of the 2026 season. But let's not forget that Uche has made only seven starts in six NFL seasons, so we perhaps shouldn't exaggerate his anticipated impact.

33. WR Jalen Tolbert

Tolbert joined the Dolphins after four seasons with the Dallas Cowboys, most of them as a backup. But the Dolphins don't have CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens at the top of their depth chart like the Cowboys do, so Tolbert being a starter in Miami in September would make sense, though he also could be somebody who could get leapfrogged by one of the young receivers with more upside.

32. EDGE/LB Trey Moore

The fourth-round pick from Texas is one of those versatile chess pieces on defense, with Hafley already saying he's going to use him on the edge and off the ball. If Moore proves he can handle the assignment, there could be a lot of snaps for him in 2026.

31. LB Willie Gay Jr.

The Dolphins brought back Gay after he became after an afterthought last season clearly with a vision on how to use him, which will be as a strongside linebacker. Gay had some good years in Kansas City not that long ago, and he stands as maybe an under-the-radar player heading into the training camp.

THE PREVIOUS PLAYERS ON THE COUNTDOWN

90. G James Ester

89. T Kevin Cline

88. QB Mark Gronowski

87. DT Keith Cooper Jr.

86. EDGE Seth Coleman

85. RB Anthony Hankerson

84. WR Donaven McCulley

83. FB D.J. Herman

82. C Jim Bonitas

81. LS Tucker Addington

80. DT Alex Huntley

79. T Marques Cox

78. EDGE Rodney McGraw

77. TE Cole Turner

76. DT Khalil Saunders

75. CB Miles Battle

74. S Major Burns

73. RB Carlos Washington Jr.

72. EDGE Robert Beal Jr.

71. WR A.J. Henning

70. RB Donovan Edwards

69. DB Omar Brown

68. EDGE Cameron Goode

67. WR Jalen Reagor

66. EDGE Max Llewellyn

65. WR Terrace Marshall Jr.

64. CB Ethan Robinson

63. G/T Josh Priebe

62. DT Rene Konga

61. WR Tahj Washington

60. QB Cam Miller

59. CB A.J. Green III

58. EDGE Mason Reiger

57. CB Alex Austin

56. P Bradley Pinion

55. LB Jackson Woodard

54. K Zane Gonzalez

53. S Louis Moore

52. DT Matthew Butler

51. CB Marco Wilson

50. CB Darrell Baker Jr.

49. LB Ronnie Harrison Jr.

48. T Charlie Heck

47. WR Chris Bell

46. CB Storm Duck

45. WR Theo Wease Jr.

44. TE Seydou Traore

43. G DJ Campbell

42. G/C Andrew Meyer

41. K Riley Patterson

40. S Michael Taaffe

39. CB Ethan Bonner

38. TE Ben Sims

37. EDGE David Ojabo

36. S Lonnie Johnson Jr.

Copyright ABG-SI LLC. SPORTS ILLUSTRATED is a registered trademark of ABG-SI LLC. All Rights Reserved.

This story was originally published June 28, 2026 at 10:30 AM.