A deep Dolphins connection in the secondary may help Rasul Douglas get acclimated quickly

MIAMI GARDENS — Last year for the Miami Dolphins proved it can take some time for a secondary to play together when the defensive backs haven’t practiced or played much with each other.

This season may present an even bigger challenge on that front, especially with the quick turnaround for veteran free agent cornerback Rasul Douglas to get acclimated. He agreed to terms Tuesday, was officially signed Wednesday and has only gone through two practices with the team before prep for the Dolphins’ first regular-season opponent, the Indianapolis Colts on Sept. 7, begins on the other side of the coming weekend.

Safety Minkah Fitzpatrick, who is tasked with leading the secondary as a three-time All-Pro, was only traded back to the Dolphins from the Pittsburgh Steelers in July. Fellow safeties Ifeatu Melifonwu and Ashtyn Davis were free agent signings this offseason, and both missed time during training camp.

Second-year cornerback Storm Duck is the top returning player at his position after Kader Kohou was lost for the season. Jack Jones was signed early in camp, and Jason Marshall Jr. is a rookie in the nickel.

But possibly making it easier for Douglas, he actually has a longstanding relationship with Fitzpatrick.

They go way back.

“(New) Jersey guy,” said Douglas, who turned 31 Friday, after his Thursday practice with the Dolphins. “Me and Minkah (have) been working out together since we were young, before we were in high school, matter fact. It’s good being back with him playing.”

Douglas went to East Orange High in north New Jersey, near Newark. Fitzpatrick’s high school, St. Peter’s Prep is about 13 miles east in Jersey City, a few blocks away from the Hudson River, with a view of downtown Manhattan.

Douglas said they were connected through coaches as defensive back recruits in the area only a couple of years apart. He playfully adds their schools never played each other because Fitzpatrick’s private school didn’t want to face Douglas’ public school.

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The two had different journeys from New Jersey to the 2025 Dolphins. Fitzpatrick was a five-star recruit and was fast-tracked to the NFL at Alabama and was selected in the first round by the Dolphins in 2018. Douglas had to go the junior college route, Nassau Community College in Garden City, New York, before going through West Virginia to become a third-round pick in 2017.

They’re teammates for the first time as Douglas is on his fifth team and Fitzpatrick has gone back to the organization that drafted him via this offseason’s trade.

Douglas’ familiarity with his safety hasn’t been enough through his first two practices in Miami to get him up to speed in a new defensive scheme.

“I was out there, running. I was messing up, doing all types of stuff wrong,” Douglas said, “but the guys understand I’m just getting here, so they give me some leeway.”

Douglas explained that the reason his free agency wasn’t settled until so late in the process was because he had family issues, and Miami understood.

Dolphins general manager Chris Grier believes he can turn it around and be ready for to contribute at the start of the season.

“I think so. We’ll see. He’ll be out there, so we’ll see how he looks,” Grier said Wednesday. “He’s got some time. He’s got to get used to the South Florida heat, but he’s been in Dallas training. So excited for him. He’s been a player that’s very smart, instinctive, tough, competitive, so I’m really happy to add him to the group.”

Although Douglas has 80 starts to his credit in his career, including all 15 games he played last year with the Buffalo Bills, his starting role isn’t guaranteed in a secondary that has been competing all camp for open roles.

“We’re not in the business of handing over those positions, especially in a competitive environment,” coach Mike McDaniel said. “Whether it’s him starting or someone else, I think overall the Dolphins are better. We weren’t plugging and playing. We were putting him in the group and seeing how that shakes out.

“It’s a competitive room that we’ll, for sure, start the guys that are in best position to start Week 1.”

Douglas has had his share of success at Hard Rock Stadium and against the Dolphins. In three games against Miami with Buffalo, with two of them in Miami Gardens, the Bills came out on top. In the 2022 Christmas Day game between the Packers and the Dolphins, Douglas intercepted Tua Tagovailoa in a Green Bay win.

“I win a lot here and catch a lot of interceptions here,” Douglas said. “That’s what I like about being here.”

He didn’t want to touch the subject of how he viewed Miami when with Buffalo, but he sees the potential of this Dolphins team.

“I think it’s a good team,” Douglas said. “They’re on the rise. Why not be a part of it?”

He knows the road through the AFC East goes through his former team.

“Just got to find a way to beat them,” Douglas said. “That’s kind of the team in the division. Everybody in this division knows that you got to go through them to win it.”

And he’ll get to face Bills quarterback Josh Allen.

“It should be fun,” he said.

https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2025/08/29/a-deep-dolphins-connection-in-the-secondary-may-help-rasul-douglas-get-acclimated-quickly/