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Chris Perkins: Dolphins head into 2025 season with Plan B after Plan A failed

Let’s be clear about something: The Miami Dolphins enter the 2025 season relying on Plan B — winning with draftees and young players.

The Dolphins are on Plan B because Plan A — winning with veterans — failed. Plan A didn’t deliver its goal of winning a Super Bowl. It didn’t even produce a playoff win.

So, the Dolphins have abandoned Plan A.

The question now is whether Plan B is built on a solid foundation.

To help provide an answer to that question, let’s identify the young players that form the building blocks for Plan B’s potential success.

We’ll consider a young player, for these purposes, third year or younger in 2025. Under that circumstance the player would still be relatively young, fourth year or younger, in 2026, which is when Plan B should bear fruit in the form of a playoff appearance.

Among the obvious tentpoles for Plan B’s success are cornerback Kader Kohou, the star of the 2022 rookie class despite being undrafted; running back De’Von Achane, the 2023 third-round pick; edge rusher Chop Robinson, the 2024 first-round pick; left tackle Patrick Paul, the 2024 second-round pick; defensive tackle Kenneth Grant, the 2025 first-round pick; and guard Jonah Savaiinaea, the 2025 second-round pick.

The key, however, is finding another four or five foundational pieces on the current roster.

If not, the Dolphins must rely heavily on their 2026 draft class to make Plan B work.

By the way, Plan B, when it’s expected to mature in 2026, will have a stable of middle-aged and older players, meaning fifth year in the league or longer, including quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, wide receiver Jaylen Waddle, guard James Daniels, right tackle Austin Jackson, center Aaron Brewer, edge rushers Jalean Phillips and Bradley Chubb, defensive tackle Zach Sieler and inside linebacker Jordyn Brooks, among others.

In summation, I’ll add this: The obvious risks with Plan B are that general manager Chris Grier’s draft history after the second round is shaky, so a strategy that relies on draftees is questionable; the Dolphins didn’t previously pursue young players as foundational building blocks in the coach Mike McDaniel era, which started in 2022, so the cupboard is relatively bare when it comes to promising young players.

Oh, yeah, this, too: I don’t understand how trading out of the third and fourth rounds in the 2025 draft fits into the Plan B strategy of building with draftees and young players.

Plan B Foundational Pieces

Kader Kohou: He’ll be a fourth-year starter at slot cornerback in 2025, and more than ready to star in the Dolphins’ resurgence. He’s tough, tough-minded, athletic and experienced.

De’Von Achane: Plan B has Achane, who had 1,499 yards from scrimmage last season, as the face of the offense in 2026. That’s because 2025 will likely be the final year for wide receiver Tyreek Hill (due to count $51.9 million against the salary cap in 2026) and no one else, including Waddle, fits the bill as the No. 1 offensive option.

Chop Robinson: He came on strong in the second half of last year, finishing with six sacks, and if he keeps progressing, the pass rush is on solid ground given the tenuous contract status of both Phillips and Chubb. If Robinson remains stable or takes a step back in 2025, the Dolphins might require a high-round draftee or big-money free agent at edge rusher in 2026.

Kenneth Grant: Grant, selected at No. 13 this year, could have lots of time to develop while playing alongside fellow defensive tackle Zach Sieler and edge rushers Robinson, Phillips and Chubb. Or, he could have no time to develop as Sieler draws double teams, Phillips and Chubb struggle to get back to 100 percent while recovering from knee injuries, and Robinson struggles to replicate his late-season success. He should hope for the former and prepare for the latter.

Jonah Savaiinaea: The Dolphins said they must “invest” in the offensive line. Savaiinaea, who the Dolphins traded up to acquire, is a big part of that return on investment, and fans want to see positive results quickly. He’s a huge part of Plan B, possibly bigger than Grant.

Patrick Paul: He replaces one of the foundational pieces of Plan A — Pro Bowl left tackle Terron Armstead — and plays one of the most important positions in the league. If he’s not ready, it’s a major setback for Plan B.

Plan B Hopeful Pieces

Cam Smith: Smith could fill a valuable role as the Dolphins need a No. 1 boundary cornerback (Kohou plays the slot) with Jalen Ramsey unlikely to return. But Smith doesn’t appear anywhere near being a No. 1 or No. 2 cornerback in Plan B.

Storm Duck: As an undrafted rookie from 2024, he was good. But as a No. 1 or No. 2 cornerback in 2025, he’s lacking. We’ll watch him in training camp to see if the Dolphins can count on him in Plan B.

Jaylen Wright: There was that 86-yard rushing game against New England last season, but that’s it. The Dolphins added two running backs in the offseason (Alexander Mattison and Ollie Gordon II) so we’ll see if Wright can earn a Plan B role in minicamp and training camp.

Malik Washington: He was promising as a rookie 2024 fifth-round draft pick, but at this point it’s tough to envision Washington as a starting slot receiver in 2026. His bigger contribution to Plan B might be on special teams.

Channing Tindall: We haven’t seen much from the 2022 third-round pick. Perhaps he has a surprise emergence but he can’t be counted on as a building block for Plan B.

Erik Ezukanma: The 2022 fourth-round pick shows promise but then gets injured. There’s still time to be a key piece of the team, but he can’t be counted on as a key piece of Plan B.

Cameron Goode: As a 2022 seventh-round pick, he’s been a success story to remain on the roster. But he’s not a foundational Plan B piece.