Ranking the Most Important Dolphins Players 46-50: How Likely Are Bell, Duck to Make an Impact Back from Injury?

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 46-50

50. CB Darrell Baker Jr.

Baker was one of the many cornerbacks the Dolphins added in the offseason and he has 25 NFL starts on his resume (though his metrics weren't very good). Baker didn't practice once in the spring in minicamp or the OTAs open to the media, and that's not going to help his quest to make the 53-man roster or earn a role on defense.

49. LB Ronnie Harrison Jr.

The veteran safety-turned-linebacker was very noticeable during the spring practices open to the media, showing an impressive knack for getting his hands on the ball at the second level. But the reality is the Dolphins have a lot of options at linebacker between their returning players and draft picks Jacob Rodriguez, Trey Moore and Kyle Louis, so Harrison could find himself squeezed out.

48. T Charlie Heck

Heck ostensibly was signed to serve the role of backup swing tackle, though the Dolphins have other options beyond him with the versatile Jamaree Salyer and rookie first-round pick Kadyn Proctor always a possibility as a right tackle should something happen to Austin Jackson. The bottom line is that Heck likely won't play barring an injury, and even then there's no guarantee he'd get the first call anyway.

47. WR Chris Bell

If this ranking had been about the best players moving forward, Bell would be higher on this list because he's got just about as much upside as any rookie on the team. But this countdown is about the 2026 season and it's just impossible right now to forecast a major contribution for Bell simply because it's probably more likely than not he'll begin training camp on PUP and it's uncertain when he'll be able to come off that list and start practicing.

46. CB Storm Duck

This is a pretty different spot for Duck than the start of the 2025 season when he found himself in the starting lineup after an impressive training camp performance. It was a brutal season for Duck, who sustained an ankle injury in the opener and then a torn ACL after he came for the Week 8 win against the Atlanta Falcons. Duck didn't practice all spring, which isn't a great sign for his ability to beat out the competition at cornerback.

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

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This story was originally published June 25, 2026 at 2:30 PM.