The Miami Dolphins defense has struggled at times throughout the 2025 season, but one player has emerged as a truly bright spark.
The Dolphins find themselves 5-7 with a favorable schedule for the rest of the season, with a genuine chance at pushing for a winning record – a surprise for many after the team looked finished prior to the trade deadline.
If Mike McDaniel’s team hopes to have a chance at challenging for one of the final wild-card places in the playoffs, or even simply just to impress the future incoming general manager, the defense needs to step up and improve performance.
The Dolphins currently rank 25th in the NFL for total defense, with 349.8 yards given up on average to opposing teams.
This breaks down to 12th overall in passing defense and a truly disappointing 29th in rushing defense.
The team does do well to make stops in the red zone, ranking fifth in the league, but more is needed from the unit’s overall performance to give fans hope of seeing more victories before the end of the year.
Jordyn Brooks Leading the Way
One player, however, has stepped up in a huge way and continues to be a true leader on the field: linebacker Jordyn Brooks.
Brooks is in his second season with the Miami Dolphins, having joined the team as a free agent prior to the 2024 season. Since arriving on a three-year deal, Brooks has been one of the best and most consistent performers on the team.
This season, however, has seen Brooks truly establish himself as a leader of men, putting his body on the line every time he steps on the field to try and win games.
At the time of writing, Brooks leads the entire NFL in tackles with 125, 71 of which are solo tackles, and eight tackles for a loss. This is eight more than the second-closest player on the list, the Detroit Lions’ Jack Campbell, who registered nine combined (five solo) tackles in his team’s 31-24 loss to the Green Bay Packers on Thanksgiving.
Brooks took a commanding lead in this category thanks to a dominant performance in the Dolphins’ 16-13 overtime victory against the Washington Commanders in Spain. During the game, Brooks racked up 20 total tackles, with an even split between solo and combined hits.
This was the sixth time Brooks hit double digits on tackles, with his previous highest this season being 18 (15 solo) against the New York Jets – another victory for the Dolphins.
Brooks Isn’t Just About Tackling
While his tackling has been significant for his team, he has also had an impact all over the field. He has 2.5 sacks and three quarterback hits, meaning he is also getting beyond opposing offensive lines on blitzes fairly effectively.
He has also registered one pass defense and one fumble recovery so far this season, showing his importance in the heart of defense. This is equally obvious in pass coverage as well as being involved in the action on the ground.
When the defense has looked flat this season, Brooks has continued to be a standout performer and will be a crucial player in the Dolphins’ search for more wins this season.
Having an experienced veteran such as the Houston, Texas native making plays every game will give McDaniel and the coaching staff the belief that success isn’t so far out of reach.
It’s just about executing consistently, and that is what Jordyn Brooks has been about all season.
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