Updating the Dolphins Roster Battles
We're now midway through the final week of Miami Dolphins training camp and done with the second of three rounds of cuts.
By next Tuesday at 4 p.m. ET, the Dolphins will have to join every team in the NFL at a 53-player limit on the active roster, so it's time a good time to take stock of where the roster stands and how things might shake out between and next Tuesday afternoon.
QUARTERBACK
On the roster (3): Tua Tagovailoa, Jacoby Brissett, Reid Sinnett
Likely number to be kept: 2
Locks or near-locks: Tagovailoa, Brissett
Long shot: Sinnett
Breakdown: The only question here is whether the Dolphins will end up keeping three quarterbacks, though the relaxed rules in terms of practice squad elevations for game day make it more likely it will be two again.
Active roster projections: Tagovailoa, Brissett
RUNNING BACK
On the roster (7): Salvon Ahmed, Myles Gaskin, Patrick Laird, Malcolm Brown, Gerrid Doaks, Jordan Scarlett, FB Carl Tucker
Likely number to be kept: 4
Locks or near-locks: Gaskin, Ahmed, Brown
On the bubble: Laird, Doaks
Long shots: Scarlett, Tucker
Breakdown: The possibility certainly exists that the Dolphins could end up keeping both Laird and Doaks, though the feeling here is there are bigger needs for roster spots at other positions. Laird has been a dependable backup running back and special teams player since joining Miami in 2019, but Doaks' bigger upside as an offensive player might make the difference here.
Active roster projections: Gaskin, Ahmed, Brown, Doaks
TIGHT END
On the roster (6): Mike Gesicki, Chris Myarick, Adam Shaheen, Durham Smythe, Hunter Long, Cethan Carter
Likely number to be kept: 4-5
Locks or near-locks: Gesicki, Shaheen, Long
On the bubble: Smythe, Carter
Long shot: Myarick
Breakdown: It's practically unheard of for a team to keep five tight ends on the 53-man roster, but the Dolphins clearly have five players here who belong on an NFL active roster. So here are two things to keep in mind: Maybe a trade is in play at this spot, and then there's the injury that has sideline Carter since the preseason game at Chicago. The Dolphins have been able to delay making a tough call at this position, but that will end and maybe they keep Carter on the initial 53 and then put him on IR the next day or simply put him on IR for the whole season if the injury is deemed serious enough. Or the Dolphins do the unusual and end up keeping five tight ends.
Active roster projections: Gesicki, Smythe, Shaheen, Long
WIDE RECEIVER
On the roster (11): Jakeem Grant, Mack Hollins, Kirk Merritt, DeVante Parker, Preston Williams, Will Fuller V, Albert Wilson, Malcolm Perry, Khalil McClain, Kai Locksley, Jaylen Waddle
Likely number to be kept: 6-7
Locks or near-locks: Parker, Waddle, Fuller*, Hollins, Wilson
On the bubble: Williams, Grant, Merritt, Perry
Long shots: Locksley, McClain
Breakdown: This is similar to what's going on at tight end because the Dolphins have a surplus of NFL wide receivers, but they'll have an extra week to make a decision at the position if they want because Fuller will begin on the NFL suspended list and won't count on the active roster until Week 2. This is another position where a trade is a distinct possibility, so the Dolphins could land a late-round draft pick instead of having to expose an NFL-caliber player to waivers.
Active roster projections: Parker, Waddle, Hollins, Wilson, Fuller (won't count against initial 53), Williams, Grant
OFFENSIVE LINE
On the roster (13): C Matt Skura, C Michael Deiter, C Cameron Tom, G Robert Jones, G Solomon Kindley, G Robert Hunt, G Durval Queiroz Neto, T Austin Jackson, G/T Liam Eichenberg, T Greg Little, G/T Jesse Davis, G/T Adam Pankey, T Larnel Coleman
Likely number to be kept: 8-9
Locks or near-locks: Deiter, Kindley, Hunt, Jackson, Eichenberg, Jesse Davis
On the bubble: Jones, Little, Pankey, Coleman, Skura
Long shots: Tom, Queiroz
Breakdown: This is going to be a really tough call beyond the first six, who are the players who have gotten first-team reps in practice. Skura might have an edge because he's got the most extensive center experience of anyone on the roster, and Coleman has the benefit of being a rookie draft pick.
Active roster projections: Deiter, Kindley, Hunt, Jackson, Eichenberg, Jesse Davis, Little, Skura, Jones
DEFENSIVE LINE
On the roster (10): DE Jason Strowbridge, DE Adam Butler, DT John Jenkins, DE Emmanuel Ogbah, DT Zach Sieler, DE Jonathan Ledbetter, DT Christian Wilkins, DT Benito Jones, DE Tyshun Render, DT Raekwon Davis
Likely number to be kept: 6
Locks or near-locks: Ogbah, Sieler, Wilkins, Davis, Butler
On the bubble: Strowbridge, Jenkins, Jones
Long shots: Ledbetter, Render
Breakdown: If anyone is wondering why the number likely to be kept is so low, it's because the Dolphins rarely use more than three pure linemen on the field. There should be quite a free-for-all for the final one of two roster spots at this position.
Active roster projections: Ogbah, Sieler, Wilkins, Davis, Jenkins, Butler
LINEBACKER
On the roster (12): Jaelan Phillips, Andrew Van Ginkel, Duke Riley, Vince Biegel, Calvin Munson, Sam Eguavoen, Benardrick McKinney, Elandon Roberts, Shaquem Griffin, Jerome Baker, Josh Harvey-Clemons, Brennan Scarlett
Likely number to be kept: 7-8
Locks or near-locks: Phillips, Van Ginkel, McKinney, Baker, Scarlett
On the bubble: Riley, Biegel, Eguavoen, Roberts
Long shots: Griffin, Munson, Harvey-Clemons
Breakdown: Stop us if you'd read this before in this story, but there are tough decisions that are going to have to be made here. Biegel would have been a lock or near-lock based on his production in 2019, but injuries have since derailed him, first with the Achilles injury last year and now with an injury to his other foot. So maybe he ends up on IR again.
Active roster projections: Phillips, Van Ginkel, McKinney, Baker, Scarlett, Riley, Eguavoen, Roberts
DEFENSIVE BACKS
On the roster (16): CB Noah Igbinoghene, S Eric Rowe, S Jevon Holland, CB Byron Jones, CB Xavien Howard, CB Justin Coleman, S Brandon Jones, CB/S Jason McCourty, CB/S Jamal Perry, S Nate Holley, CB Javaris Davis, CB Nik Needham, CB Cre'Von LeBlanc, S Clayton Fejedelem, CB Tino Ellis, CB Trill Williams
Likely number to be kept: 10-11
Locks or near-locked: Igbinoghene, Rowe, Holland, Byron Jones, Howard, Coleman, Brandon Jones, McCourty, Needham
On the bubble: Perry, Javaris Davis, Fejedelem, LeBlanc
Long shots: Holley, Ellis, Williams
Breakdown: This is yet another tough call to make and one major question is whether Fejedelem's special teams contributions — he was a captain on that unit last year — will be enough to help him keep his roster spot. Perry's versatility might come in handy for him.
Active roster projections: Howard, Igbinoghene, Byron Jones, Rowe, Brandon Jones, Holland, Coleman, McCourty, Needham, Perry, Fejedelem.
SPECIALISTS
On the roster (3): P Michael Palardy, LS Blake Ferguson, K Jason Sanders
Likely number to be kept: 3
Breakdown: No suspense here.
Active roster projections: Palardy, Ferguson, Sanders
