MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. -- The Miami Dolphins are releasing linebacker Tyrel Dodson, a source confirmed to ESPN on Sunday, after two seasons with the team.
The Dolphins claimed Dodson off waivers midway through the 2024 season; in just eight games, Dodson recorded a team-high three interceptions. Miami signed him to a two-year contract the following offseason, and he responded with a career-high 129 tackles in 2025.
But the Dolphins spent a second-round pick on linebacker Jacob Rodriguez, and first-year general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan wasted no time in describing the team's plans for the former Texas Tech star.
"He's a leader. He's a green dot guy," Sullivan said on draft night. "He'll call the defense in time, and I think he'll fit really well in the room with [Jordyn] Brooks and [Dodson] and he'd be a great addition to the Miami Dolphins.
"Iron sharpens iron, you know what I mean? And anybody in this building that is afraid of competition or doesn't welcome it or embrace it shouldn't be here. That's where we are. It's pretty simple."
Over the course of training camp, Rodriguez's snaps with the Dolphins' first-team defense increased while Dodson played 37 snaps in the team's final preseason game -- when many of its projected starters did not play at all.
Early in training camp, Dodson, 28, was asked about his thoughts on balancing competition and mentorship inside a crowded linebackers room. He compared it to the first five seasons of his career with the Buffalo Bills and said there was an opportunity for each player in the Dolphins' room to make an impact.
"Me and JB [Brooks] are the leaders in the room, and we just try to lead with love," Dodson said Aug. 7. "Sometimes it's tough love, which is competition. Like the Lord said, iron sharpens iron. So all the guys are sharpening each other. ... It reminds me of my times in Buffalo when we had Tremaine Edmunds, AJ Klein, Terrel Bernard, myself, Matt Milano. Like it reminds me of that group, because one room, we had six starters and the table was big enough for all of us to eat off of it.
"You just got to maximize your role and just run with it."
Rodriguez missed practice last week and Miami's preseason finale with an undisclosed injury, but the team isn't concerned about his availability for Week 1.
His coaches believe his comfort within the defense has grown over the course of the offseason, enough so for him to surpass Dodson.
"I think the game's slowing down for Jacob," defensive coordinator Sean Duggan said. "Just the understanding of the call, understanding what's going on not only in front of him as it pertains to the run game, but what's going on around him and whether it's zone coverage or man coverage. I think when you play defense, the more understanding you have of what's going on around you, the faster you can play and you can start anticipating."
"So I've seen that, and it's something he needs to continue to get better at too."
Dodson's release clears a path for Rodriguez to start right away when the Dolphins face the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 1 and also means former undrafted free agent linebacker Jackson Woodard will make their initial 53-man roster.
Over the past two seasons, Dodson ranks 19th among qualified linebackers in combined tackles with 236 and fifth in interceptions with four.
