Catching Up with Former Dolphins Players

With the opening of training camps around the NFL this week, several former Miami Dolphins players either found themselves a new team or at least got some tryouts.

The latest to sign a contract was safety Ifeatu Melifonwu, who joined the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Thursday, one day after he tried out for the team.

Earlier this week, former Dolphins wide receiver River Cracraft and punter Matt Haack signed with the Washington Commanders after tryouts that included wide receiver Dee Eskridge and punter Thomas Morstead.

Eskridge then had another tryout this week, this time with the San Francisco 49ers.

On Thursday, the list of tryouts around the NFL included former Dolphins running back Alexander Mattison with the Houston Texans and former Miami wide receiver Chase Claypool with the Indianapolis Colts.

IFEATU AND THE REST OF THE 2026 DOLPHINS FREE AGENTS

Melifonwu joining the Tampa Bay Buccaners leaves 16 players who finished last season with the Dolphins still looking for a new team.

That list consists of WR Tyreek Hill, G James Daniels, G/C Liam Eichenberg, TE Darren Waller, T Kendall Lamm, CB Artie Burns, T Germain Ifedi, OL Daniel Brunskill, LB Caleb Johnson, T Yodny Cajuste, TE Jalin Conyers, CB Isaiah Johnson, CB Jason Maitre and T Obinna Eze, along with Eskridge and Mattison.

Hill, Daniels, Eichenberg, Burns, Ifedi, both Johnsons, Maitre, Eze and Mattison all finished last season on an injury list and many of them might not be physically ready to play.

That was the case earlier this offseason with Mattison, who sustained a scary neck injury during the 2025 preseason in a game against Houston, ironically the team for which he worked out Thursday.

Mattison revealed after the 2025 season that there was an initial fear of paralysis after his injury, which occurred when he landed on his head on a tackle after he caught a pass.

Mattison was in the midst of a very strong showing with the Dolphins in training camp at the time of the injury, and one would think that Miami should consider bringing the 28-year-old for another look this summer if he's indeed physically ready to go.

Of the remaining free agents who played for Miami last year, the biggest names obviously are Hill and Waller, and the latter not having a new team might be a bit of a surprise given his production when healthy last year and his offseason comments indicating he still wanted to play and might be less picky than last year when he said he was coming out of retirement only for Jon Gruden (out of the league) or then-Dolphins offensive coordinator Frank Smith.

KEEPING SCORE ON NEW TEAMS FOR 2025 DOLPHINS

Melifonwu became the 20th Dolphins player from 2025 to sign with a new team as a free agent this year, to go along with trade departures Minkah Fitzpatrick and Jaylen Waddle.

The rest of the group includes QB Tua Tagovailoa (Atlanta), QB Zach Wilson (New Orleans), K Jason Sanders (N.Y. Jets after being cut by the New York Giants), FB Alec Ingold (L.A. Chargers), CB Kader Kohou (Kansas City), WR Nick Westbrook-Ikhine (Indianapolis), T Larry Borom (Detroit), S Ashtyn Davis (San Francisco), P Jake Bailey (Atlanta), DT Benito Jones (Las Vegas), S Elijah Campbell (N.Y. Giants), CB Rasul Douglas (Washington), LS Joe Cardona (L.A. Rams), LB K.J. Britt (New England), WR Cedrick Wilson Jr. (Detroit), G Cole Strange (LAC), CB Jack Jones (SF), EDGE Quinton Bell (SF) and TE Julian Hill (New England).

Of those, the Dolphins are scheduled to face in the regular season (assuming they're on the active roster at the time) the following: Sanders, Ingold, Kohou, NWI, Borom, Davis, Jones, Cardona, Britt, Wilson, Strange, Jones and Bell.

Julian Hill is out for the season after being placed on injured reserve because of an offseason knee injury.

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