Former Dolphins LB Still Unsigned After Tryout With Division Rival

The Miami Dolphins still have a few players from last season who haven’t found a new team, and one of them just tried out for a division rival.

Former linebacker Duke Riley worked out for the Buffalo Bills along with two other linebackers Wednesday. Buffalo ended up passing on Riley to sign former Army linebacker Jimmy Ciarlo instead.

Riley spent the past four seasons of his career with the Dolphins before becoming an unrestricted free agent this offseason. He was primarily a special teams contributor who got some work on defense when other linebackers were out.

Riley played on more than 70 percent of the Dolphins’ special teams snaps during the past three years, and he peaked with 84 percent in 2024. Last year was also when Riley played his fewest number of snaps on defense with the Dolphins.

His defensive snap count dropped from 392 to just 42 snaps in 2024. The writing was on the wall for Riley because the team’s linebacker room could’ve used some good depth last season, and he still couldn’t get on the field.

He made five starts during the 2023 season, recording one sack, 45 tackles, and three tackles for loss in 15 games. In his four seasons with the Dolphins, Riley played in 67 games (12 starts). He finished with 124 total tackles, three passes defended, three tackles for loss, and one forced fumble.

The Dolphins completely overhauled their linebacker depth chart this offseason. Jordyn Brooks remained, and the team re-signed Tyrel Dodson after a successful late-season stint with the team, but Willie Gay Jr. and K.J. Britt were brought in to replace Riley.

The Dolphins' early returns on that decision seem positive so far. Gay Jr. has made a ton of plays during training camp already.

Other Unsigned Dolphins

Some other notable Dolphins still looking for a new team include running back Jeff Wilson Jr. and wide receiver River Cracraft.

Wilson recently worked out for the San Francisco 49ers, which makes sense since he played there from 2018 until 2022 when he was traded to the Dolphins in the middle of the season.

Funnily enough, Wilson’s best production on the Dolphins during the second half of that season. He racked up 392 yards and three touchdowns in eight games compared to 245 yards and zero touchdowns in 19 games across 2023 and 2024.

As for Cracraft, he signed with the Seattle Seahawks during the initial free agency period but had his contract terminated with a non-football injury designation. That means he was likely injured while away from the team facility.

In three years with the Dolphins, he recorded 25 catches for 289 yards with three touchdowns.

His scores came in the Week 2 and 3 victories against the Baltimore Ravens (the wild 42-38 comeback) and Buffalo Bills (the 21-19 thriller) in 2022 and in the 2023 opener against the Los Angeles Chargers.

Other Dolphins unrestricted free agents who still don't have a team for 2025 are safety Jordan Poyer, offensive lineman Isaiah Wynn and long-snapper Jake McQuaide.

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