Miami Dolphins rookie linebacker Jacob Rodriguez isn't prioritizing landing a starting role on the defense. According to him, he only prioritizes "winning."
Rodriguez has been one of the standout players in camp, and that has come with the responsibility of being used in a starting linebacker role. Especially in the middle, it is the "Mike" that usually orchestrates the defense.
During the joint practice with the Dolphins and New York Giants, Tyrel Dodson appeared to suffer an injury, which led to Rodriguez being called in to take the starting role.
The rookie defender stated that many players stepped up and pointed to the "next man up" mentality being what most follow in injury moments.
"Jackson Woodard stepped up as well and he had to take more of a workload today," Rodriguez said. "I think that was kind of just – everybody on the defense, everybody that plays football kind of knows that somebody goes down, you got to be ready to play. You got to be ready, you got to be in shape, you got to be mentally ready. You've got to just do your job. So yeah, today I kind of picked up a little bit more of a workload, but so did other guys."
Rodriguez has shown plenty of maturity, despite heading into his first NFL season. That maturity and pure physical nature are what drew the Dolphins to draft him in the first place.
Despite most players angling for starting jobs, Rodriguez is prioritizing "winning" over anything else. When he was asked if playing time or starting is more important, the rookie pointed to simply winning.
"Winning. I don't care how we do it, when we do it, everything is about winning. I think as a team you got to try to grow your role as much as you can. I'd love to be on the field and playing every single snap I can. If I'm not, I'm not. But if we're winning, I'll be happy. I want everything, all the success for this team," Rodriguez said.
Having a team-first mentality is what takes more players very far in the NFL, and the idea that Rodriguez wants to do anything he can to help the Dolphins win is the right kind of attitude.
Miami head coach Jeff Hafley has preached being surrounded by players who love football and understand playing for a team.
The Dolphins' culture certainly needed the kind of personality traits that Rodriguez is presenting by wanting to win the starting role. Granted, he plainly said that he would love to be out on the field for every play, but also wants to do what he can to win.
One of the biggest narratives for the Dolphins has been their perceived fractured discipline and "soft" mentality. Multiple former players have discussed that aspect, and current players have pushed back against that idea as well.
Hafley has been rebuilding the culture and is well on his way to establishing a team that is buying into what he is selling. Whether or not that turns into wins on the field remains to be seen.
Either way, Rodriguez represents the right kind of player who can help lead the Dolphins out of their 25+ year mediocrity of not winning a playoff game. That could happen in 2026, but even if it doesn't, the future is looking far brighter for South Florida.
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