The Miami Dolphins have spent the majority of their offseason turning over their roster in an effort to kickstart their rebuild. While the team has a pretty crummy salary cap situation, the front office has made an effort to identify players who they believe can be part of their next great team.
That was very clear during the 2026 NFL Draft, as the Dolphins made a whopping 13 selections over the course of seven rounds of action. Now that Miami has brought these guys to town, it has to sign them to their contracts, and it managed to do just that with a pair of its selections, cornerback Chris Johnson and tight end Seydou Traore.
Dolphins Sign Chris Johnson, Seydou Traore to Rookie Contracts
With guys like Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle, and Bradley Chubb no longer in town, the overall talent level of the Dolphins has decreased dramatically this offseason. That’s why it is so important that the front office nails its draft picks so that, when the team clears up its salary cap situation, it can add players who can help it in its quest to return to the Super Bowl.
One guy who is going to have high expectations for himself right out of the gate is Johnson, who starred for the San Diego State Aztecs during his four years in college. After he racked up 49 tackles, one sack, four interceptions (two of which he returned for touchdowns), nine pass breakups, and one forced fumble in 2025, Johnson was selected with the No. 27 overall pick in the draft.
Later in the draft, Miami took a flier on Traore, a talented tight end who flashed his red zone potential in 2025 with the Mississippi State Bulldogs (35 REC, 369 YDS, 5 TD). In order for both guys to make a push for a starting job, though, they needed to sign their rookie contracts. On Thursday afternoon, the Dolphins managed to get both of these guys to put pen to paper on the first deals of their professional careers.
“Dolphins have signed first-round cornerback Chris Johnson and fifth-round tight end Seydou Traore,” Adam Schefter of ESPN reported in a post on X.
Dolphins Need Their Young Guns to Star Immediately in 2026
GettyThe Dolphins have signed Chris Johnson and Seydou Traore to their rookie contracts
If the Dolphins don’t find guys who can produce immediately on both sides of the ball, the 2026 campaign could be a rough one. The team did well to land Malik Willis in free agency to replace Tua Tagovailoa at quarterback, but the problem is that, besides De’Von Achane, there isn’t really a reliable weapon for him to utilize right now. Defensively, there are a lot of spots where inexperienced players will be relied upon to make an immediate impact.
How Miami fares next season will likely depend on how its newcomers, particularly from the 2026 draft class, perform during their first taste of the NFL. There will likely be some growing pains along the way, but that’s to be expected considering how much change there has been in this organization from top to bottom. It may not always be fun, but if the Dolphins can develop their young guns, they will be better for it in the years to come.
Dolphins Make Announcement on Pair of 2026 Draft Picks