The Dolphins‘ defense has been Mike McDaniel’s most persistent headache. Miami allowed 21.4 points per game in 2024, ranking 10th overall, while giving up 314.4 total yards per game, the 4th‑fewest in the NFL. They also collected a mere 35 sacks in 2024, landing outside the top half of the league in pass rush production. The unit bounced between flashes and breakdowns, clamping some elite offenses one week, coughing up explosive plays the next, leaving McDaniel to juggle adaptations on defense while his offense stayed consistent.

He was looking for players, and that search led him to Jack Jones, a former Patriots starter who most recently logged 16 starts for the Raiders. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the 27-year-old free agent has agreed to a one-year deal with Miami, marking his return to the AFC East and slamming the door on any Ramsey reunion dreams.

Jack Jones isn’t rolling into South Beach as a mystery, his resume shouts. The 5‑foot‑11 corner logged 69 tackles, 16 passes defended, and three interceptions with Las Vegas in 2024, good for a top‑five PD total among NFL corners. Add in his first two seasons with New England, and you get 136 combined tackles, seven picks, and four defensive TDs in just 42 games (21 starters).

The timing says it all. The Dolphins didn’t just want Jones, they needed him. Hours after Artie Burns tore his ACL on the first day of training camp, Mike McDaniel’s front office pounced on the free agent. The moment Miami placed him on season-ending IR 0without disclosing the nature of the injury, it became obvious a move was coming. And it came fast.

And here’s the Mike McDaniel tie‑in. The Dolphins’ coach has already schemed against him. Week 1 of 2022, McDaniel’s head‑coaching debut, Jones nearly snatched a Tagovailoa pass destined for Tyreek Hill, forcing the rookie HC to adjust on the fly. No clipboard chats, no shared locker room, but plenty of first‑hand respect. McDaniel’s offense saw up close how tight Jones stays in a receiver’s hip pocket. That memory and those numbers explain why Miami dialed the ex‑Patriot today.

This signing wasn’t about depth. It was about replacing the identity that vanished with Ramsey’s exit. Jones isn’t perfect. He’s been waived, arrested, and benched. But talent? Never in question. And now he steps into a system that thrives on aggression.

The Dolphins just sent a loud message: the Jalen Ramsey era is over.

Mike McDaniel shuts down Jalen Ramsey talk

It was a dream story once. It started with fireworks. Back in March 2023, Mike McDaniel made one of the most aggressive moves of his young coaching career, trading for All-Pro cornerback Jalen Ramsey. Miami gave up a third-round pick and tight end Hunter Long to the Rams for one of the most decorated defensive backs of his generation. McDaniel believed Ramsey could elevate the Dolphins from a fun playoff team to a legitimate Super Bowl contender. Miami believed.

But that belief didn’t last. A torn meniscus in July 2023 cut Ramsey’s first season in half. He returned late in the year and earned a Pro Bowl nod, but the dynamic impact never quite returned. In 2024, Ramsey played all 17 games but finished with just two interceptions and was regularly targeted by opposing QBs. McDaniel’s tone cooled. He stopped talking about Ramsey as a core leader. The energy had shifted. Ramsey’s production declined, and so did his influence.

Then came the quiet separation. On June 30, 2025, the Dolphins traded Ramsey to the Pittsburgh Steelers, along with tight end Jonnu Smith and a 2027 seventh-round pick, in exchange for safety Minkah Fitzpatrick and a 2027 fifth-rounder. Ramsey confirmed the deal himself on social media, “Break my own news! #HereWeGo.” The trade wasn’t shocking, it was overdue.

Pittsburgh agreed to pay Ramsey $26.6 million, with Miami covering a portion just to get the deal done. This wasn’t just a roster move. It was Mike McDaniel closing the chapter with finality. Jalen Ramsey had become too expensive, too unreliable, and too disconnected from the version of the Dolphins he wanted to build.

With Jones’ signing, the contrast couldn’t be clearer. Ramsey, a fading name. Jones, a rising edge. That signing told the locker room everything. McDaniel isn’t interested in past glory. He’s building for the present. He wants availability, urgency, and the kind of players who don’t need their resumes read aloud to earn respect.