Winners and Losers From Dolphins Roster Moves

With the Miami Dolphins’ initial roster cutdown and the first round of waiver claims complete, several players were rewarded for their strong summers, while others were left on the outside looking in.

Here are some of the biggest winners and losers from Miami’s 2026 training camp and roster decisions.

Winner - FB DJ Herman

Herman entered rookie minicamp as a tryout player attempting to make an NFL roster while in the middle of a position change.

Four months after switching from linebacker to fullback, he survived final cuts.

His versatile background and extensive college special-teams experience give Miami several ways to use him.

“Herm is getting better and better. He's a guy that we're trying to make multifaceted also. He's worked up on the front line. We've put him back there in the back. He's a guy that can wear a lot of hats,” said Dolphins special teams coordinator Chris Tabor. “So we're just trying to get him a lot of reps. He's getting better. I saw progress from the New York practice into the game.”

And while he didn’t get much of a chance to showcase it during the preseason games, he made several smooth adjustments on passes thrown behind him in the flats throughout training camp.

After initially entering the building without even having a contract, he heads into the regular season as one of camp’s clearest success stories.

Loser - LB Tyrel Dodson

Fresh off a 129-tackle season in which he started all 16 games, Dodson entered camp as one of the most experienced players in Miami’s linebacker rotation.

But second-round pick Jacob Rodriguez gradually stepped into an increased role during camp, while Jackson Woodard, who played 103 snaps and recorded 13 tackles during the preseason, made enough plays to force his way into the picture.

Dodson didn’t have a disastrous preseason, either, finishing the finale against Atlanta with six tackles and a forced fumble. But his contract likely worked against him as Miami weighed its younger options. Dodson was set to carry a $3.68 million cap hit in 2026, and releasing him allowed the Dolphins to save nearly $3 million against the cap while taking on only about $718,000 in dead money.

Winner - DT Keith Cooper Jr.

Throughout the preseason, few players helped themselves more than Cooper.

After entering camp as a former undrafted free agent who bounced between the Detroit Lions and Cleveland Browns last season, appearing in just one game, he emerged as one of Miami’s most noticeable defensive linemen.

“He is a guy that, in my opinion, has made one of the biggest jumps from where he started to where he is right now,” Dolphins coach Jeff Hafley said. “We played him on the inside, we played him on the outside and I'm really proud of him.”

With a rare 83.5-inch wingspan that helps him keep blockers away from his frame and a naturally low pad level that gives him leverage off the line, Cooper could become an early fixture in Miami’s defensive-line rotation.

Loser - DT Matthew Butler

Butler didn’t have a bad camp. Unfortunately for him, Keith Cooper Jr. simply had a better camp.

After playing more than 200 defensive snaps for Miami last season, he entered the summer as one of the more experienced depth options along the defensive line.

While he had his flashes where he’d generate pressure or bully somebody off the line, they were often followed by a quiet stretch of plays and, at times, less-than-ideal backside effort against the run.

Winner - WR Ryan Miller

Considering he didn’t even join Miami until the final week of camp, Miller might be the strangest winner on this list.

The Dolphins claimed him off waivers from the Giants after moving on from Tahj Washington, and Miller did enough in only a handful of days to stick on the initial roster.

A former tight end and three-time All-American at Furman, where he set program records for career and single-season touchdown receptions, Miller has appeared in 25 NFL games with six starts.

He has 14 career receptions for 162 yards and three touchdowns, but he also brings experience on special teams.

“I thought [he] did some really good things as a coverage player. That’s why he’s here on the 53,” Dolphins general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan said. “If you’re asking me to highlight one guy, Ryan is a guy that I’m excited about what he’s brought to the table in the short time he’s been with us.”

Loser - QB AJ Henning

After being waived and, at least to this point, not being brought back on the practice squad, Miami’s decision to move on from Henning is one of the more surprising roster moves of the summer.

Throughout camp, Henning appeared to be among the better half of Miami’s receiving corps and, at one point, seemed like a legitimate contender for a regular role in the rotation. The Northwestern product gave himself a strong chance to stick, recording a reception in all three preseason games, including gains of 24 and 31 yards, and initially survived Miami’s first round of cuts to make the 53-man roster.

But after Miami claimed seven players off waivers on Monday afternoon, Henning was waived to create room.

Loser - RB Carlos Washington Jr.

Washington didn’t crack Miami’s initial 53-man roster, but his summer still ended with a place in the organization. After being waived during final cuts Sunday, he cleared waivers and was brought back to the Dolphins’ practice squad the following day.

The Southeastern Louisiana product spent the past three seasons on the Atlanta Falcons’ practice squad, buried behind a crowded backfield that featured All-Pro Bijan Robinson and established short-yardage option Tyler Allgeier.

While he averaged just 2.3 yards per carry while rushing for 41 yards on 18 attempts throughout the preseason, he mainly worked with Miami’s backup offensive line, which is among the team's most significant weaknesses. Throughout camp, however, he paired quick feet and lateral agility with decisiveness between the tackles, while also looking comfortable catching the ball out of the backfield.

Loser - EDGE Clelin Ferrell

Ferrell was brought in shortly before camp as an experienced option for a Dolphins edge room dealing with injuries, but never established himself as the reliable veteran presence the group could have greatly benefited from.

While appearing in eight games with the San Francisco 49ers, he totaled four sacks and 24 tackles.

Miami initially kept the former No. 4 overall pick through cutdown day, but released him a day later after adding Malik Herring and making several waiver claims.

Ferrell also failed to record a tackle or sack during the preseason, making it difficult for his veteran experience alone to separate him from Miami’s younger edge options.

Winner - Quinn Ewers

Former backup quarterback Quinn Ewers’ trade to the Jacksonville Jaguars for a sixth-round pick may have landed him in a better situation than the one he left behind.

Ewers showed enough through three starts as a rookie, completing 66.3% of his passes for 622 yards, three touchdowns and three interceptions, to enter the summer with a legitimate chance to win Miami’s backup quarterback job.

After an abysmal preseason opener in which he completed just 1 of 8 passes for 27 yards with an interception and a 1.6 passer rating before being sidelined by a groin injury for Miami’s last two preseason games, the second-year quarterback arrives in a more settled situation in Jacksonville.

Once the No.1 overall recruit in the country and later a second-team All-SEC quarterback at Texas, Ewers now gets the opportunity to put a rocky preseason behind him and develop under Trevor Lawrence.

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