Dolphins Camp Transaction Tracker: New D-Lineman Arrives

Keeping up with all the roster moves the Miami Dolphins make this summer in preparation for the start of the 2023 regular season

The Miami Dolphins are back at work to prepare for the start of the 2023 regular season and that means a lot of on-field and classroom time for all the players involved, and decisions for the team as to which players ultimately will make up the opening-day 53-player roster.

To keep up with all the roster moves the team will make between late July and the week of the regular season opener against the Los Angeles Chargers at SoFi Stadium on Sept. 10, we offer this transaction tracker. It will include every roster move the Dolphins make, even though we will have separate stories on the more meaningful transactions of the summer.

NEW D-LINEMAN ON ROSTER

The Dolphins have been looking for depth on the defensive line, and they apparently want to take a look at another young player.

The team has signed rookie Jamal Woods, according to multiple reports and a social media post from his agent.

Jamal Woods 🤝🤝 @MiamiDolphins pic.twitter.com/SZb3xuFFUx

— Paul M. Aloise Jr., Esq. (@paloise46) August 25, 2023

Woods was signed after working out for the Dolphins earlier this week. The rookie from Illinois was waived by the Indianapolis Colts on Aug. 1 after being signed as an undrafted free agent in May.

He appeared in 49 games (18 starts) at Illinois (2017-22) and compiled 78 tackles (47 solo), 17.0 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, three passes defensed and one forced fumble.

The Dolphins are dealing with some injuries along the defensive line heading into the preseason finale against the Jacksonville Jaguars, with Zach Sieler and Da'Shawn Hand each missing practice this week because of knee issues, and Christian Wilkins continues his "hold-in" in search of a new contract.

FORMER FANGIO LINEBACKER SIGNED

Woods filled the one current opening on the roster spot that was opened Thursday when the Dolphins waived two players and signed one, former Denver Broncos linebacker A.J. Johnson.

Johnson joins the Dolphins after starting 34 games when Dolphins DC Vic Fangio was the head coach with the Broncos from 2019-21, his tenure in Denver ending when he was placed on IR in 2021.

Johnson bounced on an off the practice squad of the Seattle Seahawks in 2022 and appeared in one game.

On the same day, the Dolphins waived/injured safety Myles Dorn and linebacker Mike Rose, two players who had joined the team after the start of training camp.

BLACKMON RETURNS; ELLIS WAIVED/INJURED

The first roster move of the week came when the Dolphins re-signed QB James Blackmon in light of Mike White entering the concussion protocol as the result of a hit in the team's 28-3 victory against the Houston Texans on Saturday.

Blackmon was signed to give the Dolphins another arm in practice this week but also potentially take some snaps in the regular season finale at Jacksonville.

To make room the Dolphins waived/injured cornerback Tino Ellis.

DOLPHINS MAKE MOVES AFTER ATLANTA GAME

The Dolphins made a series of moves before practice Sunday, signing veteran wide receiver Keke Coutee and defensive back Jamal Perry and waiving/injured cornerback Mark Gilbert and wide receiver Freddie Swain.

Coutee has played 33 games with 10 starts in his NFL career, which includes 85 catches, though only two of them came in the past two seasons despite him playing 30 games.

His best season was in 2020 when he caught 33 passes for 400 yards and three touchdowns.

PERRY RETURNS FOR ANOTHER STINT

The Dolphins are bringing back a familiar face in the secondary, with Jamal Perry's agent posting on social media that he's coming back.

Perry can play several spots in the secondary, including slot cornerback, and has plenty of special teams experience, which might come in handy based on the problems of 2022 and what we saw in the preseason opener Friday night.

Perry has 31 games and seven starts of NFL experience, all with the Dolphins, who he first joined in 2019 under the name Jomal Wiltz.

He was among the cornerbacks the Dolphins worked out before they signed Parry Nickerson last week.

Perry was out of the NFL in 2022, though he did spend time on the Dolphins practice squad.

ROOKIE BLACKMON WAIVED

The Dolphins officially announced two roster moves on the afternoon of Monday, Aug. 7, one of which already had been reported and confirmed the previous night, the signing of free agent cornerback Parry Nickerson.

To make room on the roster for Nickerson, the Dolphins made a move that simply was a matter of time: They waived rookie quarterback James Blackman.

The undrafted free agent basically was a camp arm to have four quarterbacks at practice, but pretty much only for passing/receiving drills. Blackman took exactly three snaps in team periods during the first nine practices of camp, all of them during the practice/scrimmage at Hard Rock Stadium on Saturday.

DOLPHINS ADD DB NICKERSON

The team has agreed to terms with former New York Jets draft pick Parry Nickerson on Aug. making him the third defensive backs the team has added in the past week.

Nickerson will follow cornerback Mark Gilbert and safety Myles Dorn, who signed with the team last week.

Nickerson was selected by the Jets in the sixth round of the 2018 NFL draft after playing at Tulane, where he had two seasons with six interceptions and another with four.

What Nickerson always had going for him is speed, as his 4.32 in the 40-yard dash tied for fastest time among cornerbacks at the 2018 combine and his athletic overall score ranked second in that position.

MOVE AMONG THE BIG GUYS

The day after bringing in three defensive linemen for workouts, the Miami Dolphins made their move to upgrade the position, agreeing to terms with Detroit Lions 2018 fourth-round pick Da'Shawn Hand, who played for Nick Saban at Alabama.

Hand has 31 games of NFL experience, all but two of them with the Lions, including eight starts in his rookie season of 2018.

Hand spent the 2022 season with the Tennessee Titans, who first signed him to their practice squad the previous season.

The former Alabama player always has shown intriguing potential, but he just hasn't been able to stay healthy. He ended up on IR with a knee injury in 2018, an ankle injury in 2019, a groin injury in 2020 and 2021, and a quad injury in 2022.

He couldn't find a new team after becoming an unrestricted free agent in March.

The addition of Hand comes after the Dolphins waived defensive tackle Anthony Montalvo, a rookie free agent from UCF who had a pretty quiet training camp but did have a sack in the practice/scrimmage at Hard Rock Stadium on Saturday.

Hand was among three defensive linemen who worked out for the Dolphins before practice Saturday along with Marvin Wilson and Roderick Perry, but reports indicated that Perry would be re-signing with the Seattle Seahawks, who first signed him July 25 before waiving him Aug. 1.

SECOND FULLBACK WAIVED/INJURED

The Dolphins made the signing of cornerback Mark Gilbert official on the morning of Friday, Aug. 4, while announced they had waived/injured fullback John Lovett.

Lovett will revert to IR once he clears waivers. He spent the entire 2022 season on the Dolphins IR list with a knee injury.

DOLPHINS PICKING UP DB TO BRING ROSTER TO 90 PLAYERS

The Dolphins filled their one roster opening when they agreed to terms with cornerback Mark Gilbert, per multiple reports, on Aug. 3. That came on the same day safety Bennett Williams reverted to injured reserve after clearing waivers.

Gilbert comes to Miami with eight regular season games of NFL experience with the Detroit Lions in the 2021 season after arriving as an undrafted free agent out of Duke.

He played in the USFL this spring with the Pittsburgh Maulers and led the league with four interceptions.

Gilbert is the cousin of longtime Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis, who will be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Saturday as part of the 2023 Class that also included Dolphins great Zach Thomas. He's also the nephew of 1992 Rams first-round pick Sean Gilbert, who played 12 years in the NFL as a defensive tackle.

After a great sophomore season when he had six interceptions and 21 pass breakups, Gilbert had to deal with two major injuries (hip and foot) that limited him to four games in his final three years at Duke (2018-20).

DOLPHINS CUT TWO, SIGN TWO

The Miami Dolphins made some roster moves Aug. 2, the most noteworthy of which signified the end of the battle for the punter job.

The Dolphins officially announced they waived punter Michael Turk and waived/injured safety Bennett Williams. The team also came to terms with safety Myles Dorn, according to reports, though that signing wasn't made official Wednesday.

On the morning of Aug. 3, the Dolphins officially announced the signing of Dorn along with that of linebacker Mike Rose.

Rose played with the St. Louis Battlehawks of the XFL in the spring after failing to make the Kansas City Chiefs roster as a rookie free agent in 2022. Rose was a first-team All-American selection at Iowa State in 2020.

ARMSTEAD COMES OFF PUP

A few days after losing one of their most significant players, the Miami Dolphins are ready to welcome another key piece back.

Tackle Terron Armstead will be activated off the Physically Unable to Perform list at some point Monday, ironically the first day the team practice in pads this summer.

Armstead dressed for practice Monday and was with his offensive line mates for stretching, though he did not take part in any position or team drill.

WYNN COMES OFF PUP

A veteran who is expected to compete for a starting offensive lineman role for the Miami Dolphins has finally joined the team for training camp practices.

Isaiah Wynn, who has started 40 of the 43 games he played since the New England Patriots selected the former Georgia standout in the first round of the 2018 NFL draft, was taken off the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list July 30.

DOLPHINS ADD APPLE

The Miami Dolphins moved swiftly to address the loss of Jalen Ramsey, who suffered a meniscus injury that will keep him sidelined till December, signing a veteran cornerback with just as much starting experience as Xavien Howard on July 29.

The Dolphins signed former first-round pick Eli Apple, who has started 78 of the 88 games he's played in his seven-year NFL career, which has been spent with the New York Giants, New Orleans Saints, Carolina Panthers and Cincinnati Bengals. 

ARMSTEAD, TWO OTHERS PUT ON PUP

Tackle Terron Armstead didn't practice during the offseason program and he'll be on the sidelines as well when Miami Dolphins training camp work begins,

Armstead was among three players the Dolphins placed on the Active/Physically Unable to Perform List on Tuesday, the day veterans reported for training camp. Also placed on PUP were offseason acquisition Isaiah Wynn and second-year tight end Tanner Conner.

On the flip side, rookie cornerback Ethan Bonner was activated from the Active/Non-Football Injury List after being placed there last week.

Armstead, Wynn and Conner still will count on the active roster, which currently stands at 89 players, and can be activated anytime they're ready to practice.

NEEDHAM STARTING CAMP ON PUP

Nik Needham, who's coming back this season from an Achilles injury, will start training camp on the sidelines.

The Dolphins announced late Thursday afternoon they have placed the fifth-year cornerback on the Active/PUP List.

Needham, who was injured during the Week 6 loss against the Minnesota Vikings at Hard Rock Stadium, will be able to come off the PUP list at any time during training camp.

In the meantime, he will count against the 90-player roster limit, which currently stands at 89 players.

VETERAN REPORTING DATE ALWAYS REVEALING

Dolphins veterans are scheduled to report for training camp at the Baptist Health Training Complext on Tuesday, July 25, at which time they will undergo a physical to determine their readiness to start practicing.

This is the day when you typically will see some veterans being placed on the Active/PUP list and, in worst-case scenarios, injured reserve.

It's important to note here the difference between Active/PUP and Reserve/PUP. Players on Active/PUP simply aren't ready at the start of camp but can be taken off the list at any time they pass their physical, but they count against the 90-man roster limit. Players on Reserve/PUP do not count against the roster limit, but also have to miss the first four games of the regular season.

So while the signs have been encouraging for the most part for Dolphins players returning from season-ending injuries, Tuesday will be the day we find out whether Emmanuel Ogbah, Brandon Jones, Nik Needham and Trill Williams are ready to practice or still need some time to recover.

As a point of reference, the Dolphins placed two players on an injury list on reporting day last summer: CB Byron Jones was put on the Active/PUP and DB Elijah Campbell was placed on the Active/Non-Football Injury List.

TWO ROOKIES SIDELINED

The Dolphins' camp roster moves actually began earlier this week when they made two transactions involving undrafted free agents on the day their rookies reported.

Cornerback Ethan Bonner was placed on the Active/NFI list and linebacker Zeke Vanderburgh was put on injured reserve.

With Vanderburgh going on IR, it means he can't play for the Dolphins this season unless they waive him off IR and he re-signs with the team, though certain rules apply in terms of number of games he'd had to sit out. As for Bonner, he can be taken off the NFI list at any time, and the expectation is that he won't be out long based on a report from The Miami Herald indicating he's dealing with an illness.