Dolphins History Lesson: The Final Cuts

Has the franchise had many regrets recently in terms of players it let go to get down to the roster limit?

The final roster cuts are getting closer and closer for the Miami Dolphins and the rest of the NFL, but the reality is that all but a few decisions have been made when it comes to who will get the 53 roster spots.

And, based on the past 20 years, the reality is that none of the players who end up not making the cut will go on to make the Dolphins regret their decision.

Sure, several of them have resurfaced in the NFL, many re-signed by the Dolphins some time after being waived, but it's practically unheard of — at least since 2002 — for a player to go on to shine in the NFL after being part of Miami's final cuts.

That doesn't mean there haven't been any big-name players or established veterans among the "final cuts" to the roster limit — we put it in quotation marks because there's no such thing as "final" cuts — because the Dolphins have had their share this millennium.

That list would include tackle Leon Searcy in 2002, wide receiver Antonio Freeman in 2004, defensive tackle Larry Chester in 2005, wide receiver Az-Zahir Hakim in 2007 and tight end Dwayne Allen in 2019, but those are all players who were at or near the end of their NFL career.

But in terms of players among the Dolphins' final cuts to 53 who went on to have long and/or productive careers in the NFL, it's a very, very short list.

The two names who jump out in that category are Erik Walden and punter Donnie Jones.

Walden was mostly a special teams player in Miami, but he became a solid pass-rushing outside linebacker after being among the final cuts in 2010. He went on to start 66 games for the Packers and Colts after leaving Miami, and had 11 sacks for Indianapolis in 2016 before ending his career the next year.

Jones, meanwhile, was cut by the Dolphins in 2005 after two seasons and ended up playing 226 NFL games before his career ended after the 2018 season.

The active NFL player with the most success since being among the Dolphins' final cuts to the 53-man limit is linebacker Neville Hewitt, who joined the Houston Texans this year after starting 32 games for the Jets the past three seasons.

But our research showed not one single player earning a Pro Bowl invitation after being among the Dolphins' final cuts to 53 since 2002.

That's something to keep in mind when the Dolphins made their roster moves before Tuesday at 4 p.m.

Here's a rundown of the biggest name (or most established) player among the final cuts since 2002, along with the player who went on to have the most productive NFL career — obviously, this is one man's opinion.

Note that this list includes only players released or waived on the final day of cuts.

2002 — Biggest name: T Leon Searcy; most productive career: FB Obafemi Ayanbadejo

2003 — Biggest name: RB Robert Edwards; most productive career: S Yeremiah Bell

2004 — Biggest name: WR Antonio Freeman; most productive career: G Billy Yates

2005 — Biggest name: DT Larry Chester; most productive career: P Donnie Jones

2006 — Biggest name: FB Fred Beasley; most productive career: G Josh Shaw

2007 — Biggest name: WR Az-Zahir Hakim; most productive career: LB Jim Maxwell

2008 — Biggest name: TE Justin Peelle; most productive career: TE Matthew Mulligan

2009 — Biggest name: OL Nate Garner; most productive career: DT Ryan Baker

2010 — Biggest name: QB Pat White/G Donald Thomas; most productive career: LB Erik Walden

2011 — Biggest name: FB Lousaka Polite; most productive career: LB Jonathan Freeny

2012 — Biggest name: LB Gary Guyton; most productive career: WR Chris Hogan

2013 — Biggest name: LB Austin Spitler; most productive career: RB Jonas Gray

2014 — Biggest name: RB Daniel Thomas; most productive career: DB Don Jones

2015 — Biggest name: LB Mike Hull; most productive career: RB Mike Gillislee

2016 — Biggest name: T Sam Young; most productive career: G Jamil Douglas

2017 — Biggest name: P Matt Darr; most productive career: LB Neville Hewitt

2018 — Biggest name: DL Kendall Langford; most productive career: K Greg Joseph

2019 — Biggest name: TE Dwayne Allen; most productive career: CB Nik Needham

2020 — Biggest name: QB Josh Rosen; most productive career: RB Salvon Ahmed