Over the past few seasons, the Miami Dolphins have relied on veteran talent to build out their roster. Whether they acquired those veterans via free agency or blockbuster trade varied, but what ended up happening with Miami is that their roster aged quickly and the team began to struggle as they missed the postseason in 2024 and 2025, after previously making the playoffs in back-to-back seasons.
Now, one of those veterans that was called upon to bolster their team during one of the team’s playoff runs has just been cut by the San Francisco 49ers.
Former Miami Dolphins Cornerback Released
The San Francisco 49ers announced they had released veteran former first-round pick cornerback Eli Apple, who played with the Miami Dolphins during the 2023 season.
Regarding the move, Athlon Sports’ Bryce Lazenby wrote: “One of the moves the team made was to release veteran cornerback Eli Apple. Apple is a former first-round pick who has never quite panned out in the NFL. The veteran joined the 49ers last season, but only saw action in two games.
For Eli Apple, this is another disappointing development in his NFL career. The corner was drafted by the New York Giants in the first round of the 2016 NFL Draft, but he never came close to living up to that billing.
The 49ers hoped Apple would have a late-career renaissance, but that never happened, and now he’s looking for another new team.”
Dolphins on SI’s Alain Poupart previously wrote about Apple’s tenure with the Dolphins: “Apple started four of the 10 games he played for the Dolphins. Apple did a serviceable job for the Dolphins, one of the highlights coming when he picked off Josh Allen in the end zone in the first quarter of the Week 18 AFC East showdown against the Buffalo Bills at Hard Rock Stadium.”
During his stint in 2023 with the Dolphins, in which he started Miami’s last playoff game, Apple earned a 50.3 cornerback grade from Pro Football Focus, which ranked him as a bottom-30 cornerback in the NFL. At the time, Apple’s mediocre performance caused Dolphins fans to have a negative reaction to the cornerback, as they felt 2023 second-round pick Cam Smith should get more playing time. Smith never started an NFL game for the Dolphins before being released.
Miami Dolphins Secondary
While Apple does fit the bill of a player with draft pedigree who’s searching for a new opportunity in the NFL, his age likely takes him out of the running for a potential reunion with the Miami Dolphins in 2026.
Regarding how Miami’s secondary is expected to look in 2026, Dolphins on SI’s Alain Poupart wrote after the first week of training camp: “I expect JuJu Brents and Chris Johnson to start outside with Jason Marshall Jr. coming in when Johnson lines up in the slot, with the safety spots going to Dante Trader Jr. and either Zayne Anderson or Lonnie Johnson Jr.”
Brents and Johnson are both players with strong draft pedigrees, as Brents is a former second-round pick while Johnson was a late first-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.
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