Breaking Down the Tuesday Roster Moves
The Miami Dolphins made official Tuesday the four roster moves that had been reported over the past two days, but there still might be more transactions to come this week.
One day after head coach Brian Flores said veteran defensive back Jason McCourty and running back Malcolm Brown would be going on injured reserve, the team indeed placed those two players on IR.
The Dolphins also announced the signing of safety Sheldrick Redwine to the active roster off the Carolina Panthers practice squad and the signing of veteran running back Duke Johnson to the practice squad.
The moves left the Dolphins with 52 players on the active roster and filled out their practice squad after wide receiver Isaiah Ford was promoted to the 53-man roster Saturday.
With Brown going on IR, the Dolphins currently have only two running backs on the active roster, Myles Gaskin and Salvon Ahmed, and at the very least the expectation would be that one practice squad player would be elevated for the game against the Buffalo Bills on Sunday.
Along with Johnson, the Dolphins practice squad includes two running backs: third-year player Patrick Laird and rookie seventh-round pick Gerrid Doaks.
While there's been no word as to the severity of Brown's injury, reports suggest that McCourty might have suffered a significant foot injury in the fourth quarter of the 30-28 loss against the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday.
McCourty made end up requiring surgery on the foot, according to NFL Network reporter, Ian Rapoport, which could potentially sideline him for most, if not all, of the rest of the season.
"Obviously I’ve known Jason McCourty for a while and personally it’s heartbreaking for him because I know the work that he puts in and how important the team is to him," defensive coordinator Josh Boyer said Tuesday morning. "Obviously my heart goes out to him and I know how much he puts into football in general, the Miami Dolphins, this team. I feel for him.”
Johnson, like Redwine, is a former University of Miami standout. He has played 91 games with 17 starts in six NFL seasons after being a third-round pick of the Cleveland Browns in the 2015 draft. After spending the past two seasons with the Houston Texans, Johnson's only NFL time this year after being released in late February was a nine-day stint on the Jacksonville Jaguars in mid-September.
The 5-9, 210-pound Johnson always has been known as a receiving back; he averaged 51 catches in his first six NFL seasons and 12 of his 20 career touchdowns came on receptions.
