Dolphins Roster Moves and Other Rookie Notes
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After the Miami Dolphins wrapped up their two-day rookie minicamp Saturday, the team announced a couple of roster moves.
Among them, rookie free agent offensive lineman Ty Clary from Arkansas was waived with a "failed physical" designation.
To replace him, the Dolphins signed first-year offensive lineman Cole Banwart, who attended the rookie minicamp on a tryout basis. An undrafted free agent himself out of Iowa in 2021, Banwart spent time last season on the practice squads of the Minnesota Vikings and New York Giants.
Banwart was a second-time All-Big Ten and third-team All-America selection as a senior in 2020.
This was Banwart's draft scouting report from NFL.com analyst Lance Zierlein: "Broadly built guard prospect with slightly top-heavy frame whose body type and playing style are classic Iowa football. He's compact and brings some pop into his initial contact. His play strength is average and he might need help in dealing with bigger NFL defenders. Despite his length, he allows too many blocks to get away from him during the sustain and finish phases, as he tends to leave his feet behind too frequently. He'll get beat from time to time by athletic rushers but is adequate in pass protection. He doesn't stand out in any one area but has potential as a backup interior lineman with center/guard flexibility."
ROOKIE NUMBERS
With the start of the rookie minicamp, the four 2022 Dolphins draft picks and 13 rookie free agents (not counting Clary) were assigned their jersey numbers.
For those keeping score at home, here's the rundown:
LB Channing Tindall — 51
WR Erik Ezukanma — 87
LB Cameron Goode — 53
QB Skylar Thompson — 19
RB ZaQuandre White — 47
WR Braylon Sanders — 86
TE Tanner Conner — 48
OL Kellen Deische — 61
OL Blaise Andries — 71
DL Ben Stille — 90
DL Owen Carney — 93
DE Jordan Williams — 97
LB Deandre Johnson — 56
S Verone McKinley III — 32
CB Elijah Hamilton — 33
CB Kadeer Kohou — 38
P Tommy Heatherly — 59
Of note here is that Conner, who is 6-3, 226, is listed as a tight end after he played wide receiver at Idaho State.
GETTING A LOOK
Along with the draft picks and undrafted free agent signees, the Dolphins rookie minicamp roster also included 21 players who attended on a tryout basis.
Along with Banwart, the tryout players included five players with NFL experience.
The most noteworthy of those was cornerback Sam Beal, whose career failed to take after the New York Giants took him in the third round of the 2018 NFL supplemental draft. Beal played six games with three starts in four years with the Giants, though he spent his entire rookie season on IR and opted out of the 2020 season because of COVID-19.
The other three with NFL experience were running back Kerrith Whyte (six games with Pittsburgh in 2019), wide receiver K.J. Hill (21 games as a returner for the Chargers in 2020-21), linebacker Tuzar Skipper (10 games with the Giants and Titans in 2019-20) and defensive back Kareem Orr (nine games with the Titans and Rams from 2019-21).
The other tryout players at the Dolphins rookie minicamp were:
WR CJ Riley, N.C. State
WR Bryce Singleton, Florida International
TE De'andre Washington, Arkansas-Monticello (not to be confused with RB DeAndre Washington, who was a member of the Dolphins in 2020)
TE Daniel Imatorbhebhe, Kansas State
G Tristan Schultz, Liberty
DE Garnett Crall, Wyoming
DE Mike Tverdov, Rutgers
LB Omar Fortt, UConn
LB Philip Campbell, Pittsburgh
LB Tyshon Fogg, Rutgers
CB James Jones, Air Force
S Tyrone Hill, Washington State
S Greg Eisworth, Iowa State
CB Elijah Jones, Oregon State
S Cory Rahman, Tennessee State
