Report: Miami Dolphins defense shaken up by several twists and turns on Tuesday

The legal negotiation window in NFL free agency has begun. Players can’t officially sign with new teams until Wednesday, but free agency took a number of interesting twists and turns for the Miami Dolphins before noon even struck in South Florida on Tuesday.

The Dolphins are undergoing some defensive changes. First off, safety Jevon Holland’s time in Miami is set to come to a close. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Tuesday, Holland has agreed to terms on a three-year contract with the New York Giants. He could get paid as much as $46.8 million over the duration of his contract, and $30.3 million is guaranteed.

While the Dolphins are losing Holland to the Giants, it was reported on Tuesday that they are also making an addition that should help to fill the void. Safety Ifeatu Melifonwu will join the team on a one-year deal. He was selected with a third-round pick back in the 2021 NFL Draft and has appeared in 37 regular-season games during his career, all with the Detroit Lions.

Furthermore, according to some additional Tuesday reporting, the Dolphins are bringing back a couple of defensive players who were around last season.

Miami is inking defensive back Elijah Campbell to a one-year deal after he suited up in every one of the team’s 17 contests a campaign ago. Campbell has spent each of the last four seasons in a Dolphins uniform after he kicked off his pro tenure with the New York Jets.

Linebacker Quinton Bell will return to the Dolphins on a one-year deal as well. Last season, he totaled 27 combined tackles, 16 solo tackles, 11 assisted tackles and three tackles for loss. He also had one sack, one pass defended and one forced fumble. He made three starts across 17 appearances.

The Dolphins are hoping that the moves to retain Campbell and Bell and add Melifonwu to the roster will help the team build off what was a solid 2024 season on the defensive side of the ball. Miami finished in the top 10 in terms of scoring defense.

Though the Dolphins have been active on the market Tuesday, fans of the team maybe shouldn’t expect Miami to be done making additions via free agency.