The Miami Dolphins entered the 2026 season with one of the youngest rosters in the NFL, and their cornerback room is now different. Two of their three starters have been in the league for less than two full seasons in the NFL.
Jason Marshall Jr. was Miami's fifth-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft out of Florida. He played 32% of defensive snaps during his rookie season, and this year, he's jumped up to 80%.
Through six games, he's already surpassed his snap count from last year while recording 21 tackles and giving up receptions on 78.3% of his targets for 250 yards and two touchdowns (per Pro Football Reference).
While those numbers aren't great, Dolphins defensive coordinator Sean Duggan knows that Marshall's been put in a tough spot and is learning
and growing on the fly.
"I think corner, one, is a hard position to play, right? I think everyone knows when the ball is caught, right? You kind of point to that guy and be like, 'Oh, OK, he got a ball caught on him.' But when the passes aren't coming his way, it's, 'OK, why aren't they? J.Marsh, he's done a lot of really good things," Duggan told reporters this week. "There are certain plays I'm sure he wishes he had back. There are certain plays I know we wish we coached better, whether it's scheme, whether it's technique, whether it's we could have put him in a little bit better spot, so it goes both ways there. But I think for the most part, he's done a nice job.
"Again, corner's a hard position to play. You got to have thick skin. You got to be ready to bounce back if something happens. You got to be willing to go out there on an island and have everyone know you're out there on an island. I give him a lot of credit for the plays he's had this year. But just like any position, there's going to be plays he wants back. From our perspective as coaches, there's going to be plays that we want back for ourselves that we felt that we could have coached things better, too."
Marshall doesn't have many veteran cornerbacks to rely on in his room for mentorship. JuJu Brents and Chris Johnson are the other two starting cornerbacks. Brents has played just 24 games in his four seasons in the NFL, and Johnson is a rookie.
This experience should make Marshall a better player as the season (and his career) goes on. For now, Miami has to help him be the best version of himself to help the team in 2026.
This article originally appeared on Dolphins Wire: Sean Duggan evaluates young Dolphins CB's performance through 6 games
