More Moves: Dolphins Ahead of 2019 Pace with Roster Shuffling

The Miami Dolphins are now six days away from having to trim their roster by 38 players, but that doesn't mean they're not willing to take a look at new players before then.

There has been a whole lot of roster churning going on already in 2026, and it continued Monday with four more moves.

The Dolphins announced Monday they had signed linebacker Jehaim Thomas and tight end Ethan Conner, making room for them on the roster by waiving center Jim Bonifas and cornerback Ahmari Harvey.

Thomas (6-2, 232) joined the Dolphins out of the UFL, where he was a member of the league champion Louisville Kings. He finished his college career at Wisconsin in 2024, but went undrafted last year and didn't sign as an undrafted free agent with any team.

Conner (6-4, 245) spent time with the Jacksonville Jaguars this summer after going undrafted out of Troy.

Their signing will leave them precious little time to make an impression on the Dolphins before the roster cuts to 53, a dilemma head coach Jeff Hafley addressed in a Zoom media session Sunday related to players who signed with the team late last week.

"Certainly it's going to be just by the nature of it, it's going to be a little bit harder because
they're going to have limited reps, in practice this week, but then they're going to get another shot
Friday night to play a lot," Hafley said. "So we'll give them a fair chance. Watch the tape. See if we see the talent in the individual, the make-up of the player. So we're going to have to dig in as coaches and they're going to have to give us everything they have. It's just going to be a much smaller sample size. But at the end of the day if we feel those players can make us better then we got to really think hard about that. I mean, harder, but they'll have a chance."

THE MOVES KEEP COMING

By our calculations, Thomas and Conner became the 21st and 22nd new players signed by the Dolphins since they put together their undrafted free agent class. That number surpasses the total of 20 for the Dolphins before the roster cuts to 53 in 2019 when they also were undergoing a massive rebuilding project.

The Dolphins' total this year includes 16 players signed as free agents, four players claimed on waivers, and two players acquired via trade.

The Dolphins, based on comments from GM Jon-Eric Sullivan and Hafley, aren't done shuffling the back end of the roster and who knows what that number of player acquisitions will look like by the time the 2026 comes to a close.

One area to watch is waiver claims.

Again using 2019 as a gauge, the Dolphins picked up a whopping 20 players off waivers, even if they only had two before the cuts to 53. That Miami team landed five players off waivers the morning after the cuts, and it should surprise no one if the Dolphins match or top that number this year.

And it also should surprise no one if the Dolphins made even more roster moves before Sunday at 4 p.m. ET.

They clearly have shown no hesitation to look for any way possible to improve the roster.

THE DOLPHINS' AUGUST TRANSACTIONS

August 5 — Claimed TE Jeremiah Franklin off waivers from New England ... signed DL Fatorma Mulbah ... waived EDGE Seth Coleman-Lyles ... placed DL Rene Konga on injured reserve

August 7 — Signed S Tanner Wall ... claimed CB Ahmari Harvey off waivers from Pittsburgh ... waived QB Mark Gronowski ... waived/injured S Omar Brown

August 10 — Acquired G/T Caedan Wallace and a 2029 7th-round pick from New England for a 2028 6th-round pick ... signed CB Nick McCloud ... placed K Zane Gonzalez on IR ... waived RB Anthony Hankerson

August 16 — Signed QB Mark Gronowski and LB Cam Riley ... placed G/T Jamaree Salyer on IR ... waived/injured CB Ethan Robinson

August 17 — Activated WR Chris Bell off the Non-Football Injury list ... signed DL Cam Rice ... waived S Tanner Wall

August 18 — Signed EDGE Seth Coleman-Lyles ... waived/injured EDGE Mason Rieger

August 21 — Signed LB Stephen Dix Jr. ... waived/injured G James Ester

August 22 — Claimed CB Jai'Onte' McMillan off waivers from Indianapolis ... released CB Nick McCloud

August 24 — Signed LB Jehaim Thomas and TE Ethan Conner ... waived C Jim Bonifas and CB Ahmari Harvey

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