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MIAMI GARDENS — The Miami Dolphins need starting-caliber cornerbacks to emerge through competition ahead of the 2026 season.
JuJu Brents, the long 6-foot-3 cornerback who showed flashes in limited opportunities last season before going down with a foot/ankle injury, could be primed to make that leap once expected of him as a former second-round pick of the Indianapolis Colts in 2023.
Brents’ 82 ⅝-inch wingspan ahead of that draft was the longest ever recorded for a cornerback at the NFL scouting combine. He’s an imposing figure for wide receivers lined up across from him, especially since his long arms allow him to jam receivers in press coverage before they can get going on their routes.
“Just being disruptive,” Brents said after a minicamp practice this week. “I feel like, definitely at the line of scrimmage, just using my length to my advantage, being able to throw off timing of the receiver and the quarterback.”
And if his press coverage doesn’t do the trick, he can still recover and use those arms to get his hands to the ball.
“Then, down the field, if you’re beat at the line of scrimmage, you still have a chance to win at the top of the route and at the point of attack,” he said.
It’s his physical traits that make him a breakout candidate in 2026 in a secondary that provides opportunity.
“I think he’s a big man that’s long but has small-man feet,” defensive coordinator Sean Duggan said. “He can move, man. He’s physical. If you watch his tape, he plays the run. He’ll show up, he’ll hit you. He’ll play like a big man out there, but he can move like a smaller guy. I’m excited for JuJu.”
Brents’ physical tools flourished when he got an opportunity to start deep into the past season. Picked up by the Dolphins’ previous regime as a waiver claim off his cut from the Colts’ 53-man roster ahead of the season, he finally got his chance in a November home game against the Buffalo Bills, when starter Rasul Douglas was out injured. Brents’ coverage, locking down his side of the field, was a key in Miami’s surprising 30-13 victory, the team’s first against the rival Bills after seven straight losses in the series.
“Just being intentional last year, just waiting for your number to be called, just having the mentality of being ready every single day,” Brents said of how he remained prepared. “It didn’t take for a guy to get hurt for me to be like, ‘OK, now it’s my time.’ I was thinking like, every Thursday or Friday, it might come. Just being ready.
“Same thing for this year. Just attacking every single day. That’s the mentality I’ve been having, and it’s paying dividends.”
The following week after Brents’ breakthrough performance, Douglas was out again. Brents got another start, looking strong in coverage, but his foot got stuck in the turf in the Dolphins’ international win over the Washington Commanders in Madrid. The ankle/foot ailment caused his season to be cut short.
Injuries also marred those first two NFL seasons out of Kansas State. Tabbed a Colts starter as a rookie, hamstring and quadriceps ailments shut him down halfway through that initial professional campaign. In 2024, two players landed awkwardly on his knee, causing a torn MCL in the season opener.
By 2025, Brents didn’t make Indianapolis’ active roster, opening up his chance to be claimed in Miami.
Brents has a legitimate shot at a starting role if he stays healthy.
“The main thing for me is just being available,” he said.
He stands out in coverage with that size and length. He came down with an interception in a recent practice, but he knows he should have more.
“If we’re counting the drops, it’s too many,” he said. “So, I got to finish, capitalize.”
At this stage in the offseason, with fellow cornerbacks Darrell Baker Jr. and Storm Duck rehabbing injuries, Brents could be penciled in as a starting outside cornerback opposite Jason Marshall Jr., the second-year player out of Florida, when rookie first-round pick Chris Johnson is in working the nickel.
Free-agent acquisitions Marco Wilson and Alex Austin and returning cornerbacks Ethan Bonner, A.J. Green III, Ethan Robinson are among those vying for a roster spot.
“I promise you and I guarantee you we got some dogs,” Brents said. “It’s great for everybody, top down. Every single day, we’re understanding that it’s a competition, and it’s just getting us a lot better.”
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JuJu Brents, the long 6-foot-3 cornerback who showed flashes in limited opportunities last season before going down with a foot/ankle injury, could be primed to make that leap once expected of him as a former second-round pick of the Indianapolis Colts in 2023.
Brents’ 82 ⅝-inch wingspan ahead of that draft was the longest ever recorded for a cornerback at the NFL scouting combine. He’s an imposing figure for wide receivers lined up across from him, especially since his long arms allow him to jam receivers in press coverage before they can get going on their routes.
“Just being disruptive,” Brents said after a minicamp practice this week. “I feel like, definitely at the line of scrimmage, just using my length to my advantage, being able to throw off timing of the receiver and the quarterback.”
And if his press coverage doesn’t do the trick, he can still recover and use those arms to get his hands to the ball.
“Then, down the field, if you’re beat at the line of scrimmage, you still have a chance to win at the top of the route and at the point of attack,” he said.
It’s his physical traits that make him a breakout candidate in 2026 in a secondary that provides opportunity.
“I think he’s a big man that’s long but has small-man feet,” defensive coordinator Sean Duggan said. “He can move, man. He’s physical. If you watch his tape, he plays the run. He’ll show up, he’ll hit you. He’ll play like a big man out there, but he can move like a smaller guy. I’m excited for JuJu.”
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Brents’ physical tools flourished when he got an opportunity to start deep into the past season. Picked up by the Dolphins’ previous regime as a waiver claim off his cut from the Colts’ 53-man roster ahead of the season, he finally got his chance in a November home game against the Buffalo Bills, when starter Rasul Douglas was out injured. Brents’ coverage, locking down his side of the field, was a key in Miami’s surprising 30-13 victory, the team’s first against the rival Bills after seven straight losses in the series.
“Just being intentional last year, just waiting for your number to be called, just having the mentality of being ready every single day,” Brents said of how he remained prepared. “It didn’t take for a guy to get hurt for me to be like, ‘OK, now it’s my time.’ I was thinking like, every Thursday or Friday, it might come. Just being ready.
“Same thing for this year. Just attacking every single day. That’s the mentality I’ve been having, and it’s paying dividends.”
The following week after Brents’ breakthrough performance, Douglas was out again. Brents got another start, looking strong in coverage, but his foot got stuck in the turf in the Dolphins’ international win over the Washington Commanders in Madrid. The ankle/foot ailment caused his season to be cut short.
Injuries also marred those first two NFL seasons out of Kansas State. Tabbed a Colts starter as a rookie, hamstring and quadriceps ailments shut him down halfway through that initial professional campaign. In 2024, two players landed awkwardly on his knee, causing a torn MCL in the season opener.
By 2025, Brents didn’t make Indianapolis’ active roster, opening up his chance to be claimed in Miami.
Brents has a legitimate shot at a starting role if he stays healthy.
“The main thing for me is just being available,” he said.
He stands out in coverage with that size and length. He came down with an interception in a recent practice, but he knows he should have more.
“If we’re counting the drops, it’s too many,” he said. “So, I got to finish, capitalize.”
At this stage in the offseason, with fellow cornerbacks Darrell Baker Jr. and Storm Duck rehabbing injuries, Brents could be penciled in as a starting outside cornerback opposite Jason Marshall Jr., the second-year player out of Florida, when rookie first-round pick Chris Johnson is in working the nickel.
Free-agent acquisitions Marco Wilson and Alex Austin and returning cornerbacks Ethan Bonner, A.J. Green III, Ethan Robinson are among those vying for a roster spot.
“I promise you and I guarantee you we got some dogs,” Brents said. “It’s great for everybody, top down. Every single day, we’re understanding that it’s a competition, and it’s just getting us a lot better.”
Continue reading...
