Dolphins Cutdown Day Tracker
The big day has finally arrived, with the Miami Dolphins and every team around the NFL required to get down to a 53 players on their active roster by 4 p.m. ET.
We'll be breaking down and analyzing the roster moves throughout the day before presenting a general overview.
We encourage Dolphins fans to check back here throughout what promises to be a very busy day.
The Complete List of Moves
The Dolphins officially announced their moves right around 5 p.m. and here was the rundown:
Placed on injured reserve
T Larnel Coleman
Released
LB Josh Harvey-Clemons
CB Cre'Von LeBlanc
LB Benardrick McKinney
T Adam Pankey
C Matt Skura
C Cameron Tom
Waived
CB Javaris Davis
RB Gerrid Doaks
CB Tino Ellis
LB Shaquem Griffin
S Nate Holley
LB Kylan Johnson
DT Benito Jones
RB Patrick Laird
DE Jonathan Ledbetter
WR Kai Locksley
WR Khalil McClain
WR Kirk Merritt
LB Calvin Munson
TE Chris Myarick
WR Malcolm Perry
G Durval Queiroz Neto
DE Tyshun Render
RB Jordan Scarlett
QB Reid Sinnett
DE Jason Strowbridge
FB Carl Tucker
The Initial 53-Man Roster
The word "initial" is important here because the Dolphins almost assuredly will tweak this roster between now and the season opener at New England on Sept. 12, just like the moves Tuesday didn't represent the "final" cuts.
In any event, here is the initial 53-man roster (by position):
QUARTERBACKS (2) — Tua Tagovailoa, Jacoby Brissett
RUNNING BACKS (3) — Salvon Ahmed, Malcolm Brown, Myles Gaskin
WIDE RECEIVERS (7) — Albert Wilson, Will Fuller*, DeVante Parker, Jaylen Waddle, Preston Williams, Jakeem Grant, Mack Hollins (*-Fuller will begin the season on the NFL suspended list and won't count against the 53 until he's removed from that list after Week 1)
TIGHT ENDS (5) — Adam Shaheen, Durham Smythe, Cethan Carter, Hunter Long, Mike Gesicki
OFFENSIVE LINEMEN (9) — Michael Deiter, Robert Jones, Solomon Kindley, Greg Mancz, Robert Hunt, Austin Jackson, Liam Eichenberg, Greg Little, Jesse Davis
DEFENSIVE LINEMEN (6) — Adam Butler, John Jenkins, Emmanuel Ogbah, Zach Sieler, Christian Wilkins, Raekwon Davis
LINEBACKERS (7) — Jaelan Phillips, Andrew Van Ginkel, Duke Riley, Sam Eguavoen, Elandon Roberts, Jerome Baker, Brennan Scarlett
DEFENSIVE BACKS (12) — Noah Igbinoghene, Eric Rowe, Jevon Holland, Byron Jones, Xavien Howard, Justin Coleman, Brandon Jones, Jason McCourty, Jamal Perry, Nik Needham, Clayton Fejedelem, Trill Williams
SPECIALISTS (3) — Michael Palardy, Jason Sanders, Blake Ferguson
Good News for Two Rookie Free Agents
While the Dolphins have yet to release (as of 4:52 p.m.) their list of roster moves, rookie free agents Robert Jones and Trill Williams both were expected to be part of the initial 53-man roster, according to sources.
Jones made the team as a guard from Middle Tennessee after an impressive preseason performance that included playing every offensive snap in the 29-26 victory at Cincinnati on Sunday.
Williams, who was claimed off waivers from the New Orleans Saints in the offseason, showed an intriguing skill set to go along with his great size at cornerback throughout camp and was able to land a spot at a crowded position.
As he joked Friday, Williams' first order of business might be to come up with a new number after wearing 51 in camp.
Rough Time for Recent Picks
Among the early names that have leaked as part of the cuts are a pair of 2020 draft picks, Jason Strowbridge and Malcolm Perry.
They fall under two different categories from this vantage point: Strowbridge just didn't do enough to get notice; Perry was the victim of the Dolphins' depth at wide receiver.
Strowbridge was selected in the fifth round in 2020 along with defensive end Curtis Weaver, who was waived/injured last summer, was claimed by the Browns and was waived again Tuesday.
As for Perry, he was a seventh-round selection and had a good enough camp and preseason that it's very easy to envision the Dolphins signing him to the practice squad if he clears waivers.
Practice Report
The other two bubble players missing were wide receiver Kai Locksley and recently acquired linebacker Josh Harvey-Clemons, and Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald reported that Locksley indeed has been waived.
That obviously is not a major surprise given the tremendous depth at wide receiver that likely will produce some tough decisions before 4 p.m. ET
Coleman Headed to IR
Rookie seventh-round pick Larnel Coleman is headed to injured reserve because of a knee injury expected to require surgery, per multiple reports.
If we're being honest here, Coleman probably was a long shot to make the 53-man roster, particularly after his disappointing performance in the preseason finale against the Cincinnati Bengals when he allowed pressure on the quarterback.
There's no indication as to when or how Coleman was injured, though we can tell you he played every offensive snap against Cincinnati, according to the gamebook, and that includes the final kneel-down after the Dolphins defense made the game-winning fourth-down stop.
The Dolphins still have six of their seven rookie draft picks on the active roster after this expected move: Jaylen Waddle, Jaelan Phillips, Jevon Holland, Liam Eichenberg, Hunter Long and Gerrid Doaks.
The Big McKinney Move
The most newsworthy move to come Monday, of course, was the release of linebacker Benardrick McKinney just five months after the Dolphins acquired him in a trade with the Houston Texans.
We earlier dissected that roster move in detail.
Other Monday Cuts
The Dolphins got a head start on their roster cuts Monday by waiving or releasing a handful of players, the most notable being center Matt Skura, as we chronicled here.
