Read the full transcript from ILB Jordyn Brooks' media availability on May 19, 2026.
So for starters, we saw your reaction after y'all drafted Jacob Rodriguez. Can you describe how you were feeling in that moment or your excitement in that moment?
Jordyn Brooks: Yeah, I mean, I was excited. Anybody that was in the building last year knows how much of a fan I was of Jacob, just watching him from afar and seeing how he kind of just willed Texas Tech to a playoff appearance, man. Shoot, when he got drafted, I had to come up and show support. You know what I mean? And just for another Texas Tech guy to be in the building, it's kind of cool for the school and for myself, and so when he got drafted, man, I felt like I was getting drafted. So it was a good experience.
He's one of a lot of new faces here in the building from the top down, GM down. Is it a little weird coming back this year?
Jordyn Brooks: Yeah it is, I mean weird in a good way though. A lot of new faces, a lot of new coaches, staff members everywhere, a lot of new players. So it kind of feels like being part of a new team. Same jerseys, but kind of a new feel and that's pretty exciting.
So with all those new faces and new coaches and everything, what was the priority to sort of establish on Day 1 here? Like I know your mind could go all over the place with all the new stuff, but what was sort of the goal today to establish right off the bat?
Jordyn Brooks: Just good practice habits. Like you said, me as one of the leaders on the team, just pushing that standard of all-out effort every play, doing the little things right, trying to establish that to kind of change the culture around here. I think you can get that done with a lot of new faces, a lot of young guys coming in and so I think that's the most important thing.
You talked about leadership. Just how important is it for you to keep showing up to work every day and kind of establishing that culture in spite of the contract situation?
Jordyn Brooks: For me, I know I need to get better as a player so that's why I show up. And then obviously, I never want to give the wrong message to the team or to my teammates. I play with these guys, go to battle with them, and I want them to know that I'm here no matter what, playing the game for the right reasons, and so I show up to work because that's what's required of me.
How confident are you that the Dolphins will do what they say they want to do, which is get an extension done?
Jordyn Brooks: Yeah, I mean, I don't know. I mean, it can go either way honestly, but for me, I'm just controlling what I can control. Play football. I'm blessed to do it and so I'm going to just keep approaching it that way.
Do you take it as a positive sign that De'Von Achane got his deal? Now maybe you and Aaron Brewer could be up next?
Jordyn Brooks: Yeah, man, Achane getting his deal, that's something that needed to happen right away. Probably our best player on the team, just his skill set and the way he's played for us the last two years since I've been here, he earned every bit of that. Seeing him get that done, I was excited. Bringing him back and obviously all the guys that we lost, having him back made me feel a lot better about where we're going in the future.
You have a new head coach. What's your impression on Jeff Hafley and just everything that he's kind of trying to build here and kind of setting the tone as the leader of this franchise right now?
Jordyn Brooks: I think he's done a great job, being kind of right to the point with his messages, being very simple and very clear in what he requires of us. And I just like his personality, the way he comes in the building and carries himself and the way he's kind of structuring practice, kind of easing us into it, knowing that we got a lot of new guys and a new system for us as the older guys, so guys need to learn right now. I think he's been handling pretty good.
Kind of going off of that talking about Jeff Hafley, what can you tell us about just the standard that he set in the short amount of time that he's been here?
Jordyn Brooks: I think just having conversations with him one on one and then obviously the messages pushed to the team, I think we kind of have like minds and the same standard – wanting to be a team that works hard, a tough-minded team, a team that's going to finish in the fourth quarter, play through any condition. I think he shares that mindset and so that's one of the biggest things that I like about him.
We saw Kyle Louis with a big play today, did that in college a whole bunch. What stands out about him so far early on to you?
Jordyn Brooks: Right there. Just his ability. I was talking to him yesterday. They kind of moved them all over the place in college. He played safety, played nickel, he played linebacker. He has a great skill set, and it was on display today. A couple practices that we had last week just in indy, you could see his skill set and it was cool to see him make that play today. We're really going to need him down the stretch of this season, so I'm excited to see what his future looks like.
Is there a sense of excitement in general just having OTAs underway, knowing you guys are getting closer to training camp and just really starting to get the ball rolling in all of this?
Jordyn Brooks: It's always exciting whenever football is back. Like this is what we do. For me, I just love playing football until I can't. So just being here and then kind of just like a fresh start, like I said, got all these new faces, new system, new everything, I think it's a good thing and kind of a new feeling. I'm excited to see where we can take it.
You mentioned earlier about this new regime kind of changing the culture around here. What exactly does that mean? And I guess what are some things specifically that needed to be changed?
Jordyn Brooks: I just think that, I mean, it's a lot of things, right? When you don't make the playoffs two years in a row, there's a lot of things that need to be fixed, but I think the number one thing is just the mindset of the collective group. Like I said, bringing younger guys in, just bringing new guys in, period – that's the best way that you can do that, is to have a collective mindset. So everybody's fresh. You set out what the standard is and everybody meets that standard. Us as leaders, we enforce whatever Coach is saying and we get it going the right way, I think that's the best way to get it done
We saw you take that big step as a leader last year. I'm curious, as you're approaching the offseason and everything or amid the offseason, how do you take another step or is there another step to take in leadership?
Jordyn Brooks: One hundred percent. It's always a new challenge. Even this year, like I said, with there being a lot of young guys and then just guys who haven't had a lot of play time in the league, I think that's a lot more challenging on my plate as far as being an example to those guys each and every day. It's hard to do that every day. Some days might come in tired, some days you might not feel like making that extra effort, but for the sake of the guys around us watching, I think that challenges me more to take it up another level.
Have you been able to spend some time with Malik Willis and bond with him?
Jordyn Brooks: Yeah, me and Malik share lockers. Went out to eat with him a couple of weeks ago, picking his brain. I love his mindset, man. Like I said, it's still early, but just having the conversations with him, I can tell that he's serious about his job and he's hungry. I think if you can be humble and hungry, that's a scary combination. And so that's the mindset he brings in and he's already stepping up being a leader. I'm pretty sure he probably don't even know everybody's name yet, hasn't been here too long; but he's already stepping out being a leader, getting in extra work with the guys. So those are all great signs.
When Sully and Hafley first got here, obviously there's a lot of roster turnover, but they said "Achane, Brewer, Brooks – these are the pillars that we want to build on." Especially for somebody who didn't start his career here, what does a message like that mean to you when you hear a new regime come in and say, "no, this is a guy that we want here"?
Jordyn Brooks: I look at as challenge accepted. Like I said, it's not easy being a pillar. You got to do things the right way all the time, but it's a challenge that I accept. I'm excited to take on that challenge if I'm going to be here for the future, one hundred percent, I'm all in.
The left side of the line is pretty big now, the offensive line. You're on the other side. I don't know if you guys have lined up. I realize it's June and all that stuff, but what do you see from them and how would you attack them in your role?
Jordyn Brooks: A lot of size. They already got a different swagger about them. We haven't had a chance to do 11-on-11, but we've been doing walkthroughs and just their demeanor that they've been carrying in walkthroughs – they've been tempo violating, by the way. (laughter) But they got a different swagger to them, man. A lot more confident, guys like Patrick Paul, Brewer obviously, Jonah stepping up, and then you got the young rook coming in and Austin Jackson has been there. I think they got a chance to be really special this year and they're definitely walking around like it. It's going to be hard to get past those dudes, but it's going to make us better, going against them in practice every day so I can't wait for those matchups.
Have you seen a side of the line 6'8 or 6'7...?
Jordyn Brooks: No, not at guard. You don't see guys that big at guard. So you got two 6'8 guys on the line, it's going to be hard to see back there. So like I said, it could be scary.
