Live updates: Beckham stays on PUP. And A look at Dolphins’ roster cuts as they happen
The Dolphins began Tuesday with 85 players in the mix for spots on the 53-man roster.
That means 32 players must be released, traded or placed on injured reserve by Tuesday’s 4 p.m. deadline.
Here’s who was released by the team, per league sources. Keep checking back for updates. (We will add the most recent news to the top.)
5 p.m. update: The Dolphins got to the 53-man limit by releasing six additional players: long snapper Blake Ferguson, defensive tackle Jonathan Harris, linebackers Dequan Jackson and David Anenih, running back Anthony McFarland and receivers Braylon Sanders and Erik Ezukanma. Linebacker Wyatt Ray was placed on IR and isn’t eligible to return.
4 p.m. update: The Dolphins are placing cornerback Cam Smith and receiver River Cracraft on injured reserve, per a source. Both are eligible to return after four games Smith sustained a hamstring injury in the second preseason game.
3:45 p.m. update: The Dolphins are moving receiver Odell Beckham from the active/PUP list to the reserve/PUP list, meaning he will be sidelined at least the first four games, per NFL Network.
Beckham had an offseason procedure and the Dolphins believe he needs more time to recover. Miami needed to decide by 4 p.m. Tuesday whether to place Beckham on the reserve/PUP list or place him on the active roster.
The Dolphins have just two fully healthy receivers (Braxton Berrios and Malik Washington). Their two star receivers (Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle) are dealing with injuries but are expected to be fine for the Sept. 8 opener against Jacksonville.
Eriz Ezukanma and Braylon Sanders, who were still on the team as of 3:15 p.m., are injured. Ezukanma has a lower-body issue, and Sanders has a pulled groin.
2:40 p.m. update: The Dolphins waived undrafted TCU rookie safety Mark Perry, according to a source. Perry had a pretty good final two weeks of training camp and the Dolphins have interest in bringing him back to the practice squad if he clears waivers.
The Dolphins gave Perry $165,000 guaranteed and would like to invest more time in him.
2:10 p.m. update: The Dolphins released running back Chris Brooks, who made the team as an undrafted rookie last season but has dealt with multiple injuries, including a concussion that ended his preseason after a 59-yard run against Washington. He also seemed to sustain some kind of upper-body injury on that long run.
He had 19 carries for 106 yards last season, including a 52-yard run.
Brooks would be an option for Miami’s practice squad when he’s healthy.
1:45 p.m. update: The Dolphins released promising undrafted rookie tight end Hayden Rucci but plan to sign him to the practice squad, according to a source.
Rucci impressed the team with his toughness and physicality as a blocker. He also caught five passes for 44 yards, including a 20-yard TD reception, in the preseason finale.
1:30 p.m. update: The Dolphins cut running back Zander Horvath, who was added to the roster two weeks ago. He had two touchdowns on nine touches for the Chargers in 2022, his only previous NFL experience.
1:18 p.m. update: Per a source, the Dolphins released rookie cornerback Isaiah Johnson, the Syracuse rookie who made a strong case for himself in training camp. Johnson permitted only one of five targets in his coverage area to be caught; that completion was a two-yard touchdown against Tampa.
He ended one practice with consecutive pass breakups in the end zone.
The Dolphins could re-sign him to their practice squad if he’s not claimed off waivers. At 6-3 and with decent speed, Johnson has an impressive skill set and is worth investing more time in.
For the moment, the Dolphins have seven cornerbacks: Jalen Ramsey, Kendall Fuller, Kader Kohou, Ethan Bonner, Siran Neal, Storm Duck and injured Cam Smith.
1:15 p.m. update: The Dolphins released linebacker Wyatt Ray, according to a source. He was signed recently and was injured last week.
1:05 p.m update: The Dolphins cut safety Jordan Colbert, the Rhode Island rookie who impressed the team in camp. The Dolphins intend to re-sign him to the practice squad.
12:45 p.m. update: Per a source, the Dolphins cut Nik Needham, one of their biggest undrafted success stories in recent years. The Dolphins have shown interest in signing him to their practice squad if he doesn’t land on a 53-man roster elsewhere.
Needham appeared in 61 games and started 27 for the Dolphins over five seasons; he had 199 tackles, six interceptions and three sacks.
Needham missed a full calendar year after an October 2022 torn Achilles. He came back and appeared in 10 games last season but had only 71 defensive snaps.
After being signed as an undrafted free agent out of UTEP in 2019, Needham played 89, 60 and 64 percent of the Dolphins’ defensive snaps in his first three seasons.
He had been competing for a job at cornerback and safety.
12:05 p.m. update: The Dolphins cut guard Chasen Hines, a 2022 sixth-round pick by New England who had three different stints with Miami over the past year. He was released earlier this month before being re-signed.
11:45 a.m. update: The Dolphins cut undrafted rookie guard Matthew Jones, who started 24 of Ohio State’s 26 games over the past two seasons. J
Jones had some good moments in camp. He allowed no sacks or hurries in 73 pass blocking chances in preseason; PFF rated him Miami’s second-best pass blocking lineman, behind Lester Cotton, during preseason.
11:30 a.m. update: The Dolphins cut linebacker Curtis Bolton, per a source. Pro Football Focus rated him the Dolphins’ top defensive player in preseason.
His departure leaves Jordyn Brooks, David Long Jr., Duke Riley, Anthony Walker and Channing Tindall as inside linebackers competing for perhaps four jobs. Walker has missed most of camp with an injury.
Three other linebackers added in recent weeks (David Anenih, Dequan Jackson, Wyatt Ray) are strong candidates to be cut.
11:20 a.m. update: The Dolphins released receiver Kyric McGowan, the former Northwestern and Georgia Tech player who appeared in two games for the Washington Commanders in 2022.
As of this moment, the Dolphins have seven receivers on their active roster: Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle, Braxton Berrios, River Cracraft, Malik Washington, Erik Ezukanma and Braylon Sanders. But the Dolphins have suggested that Cracraft will miss awhile with his injury (believed to be a shoulder). Ezukanma and Sanders have lower-body injuries and could be back within a few weeks.
An eighth receiver, Odell Beckham Jr., remains on the physically unable to perform list. The Dolphins must decide by 4 p.m. Tuesday whether to keep him on PUP (which would sideline him for four weeks) or move him to the active roster.
11:15 a.m. update: The Dolphins released receiver Ja’Quan Burton, the undrafted rookie from FAU. Burton had some decent moments during camp and filled in at running back during the second half of the season preseason game, when the Dolphins were short-handed at the position.
10:49 p.m. update: In the first mild surprise of the day, the Dolphins cut veteran defensive tackle Neville Gallimore, who had been competing for a top backup job.
Gallimore had 90 tackles in 52 games (and 14 starts) for Dallas over the past four seasons and was signed by Miami early in free agency. Gallimore, who had a good history with defensive line coach Austin Clark, will leave with $1.79 million; his one-year contract was entirely guaranteed.
As of 10:49 a.m. Tuesday, Gallimore’s release left Miami with six defensive tackles: Calais Campbell, Zach Sieler, injured Benito Jones, Da’Shawn Hand, Brandon Pili and Jonathan Harris.
10:32 a.m. update: The Dolphins released receiver Jadon Janke, according to a source. The undrafted rookie from South Dakota State joined the Dolphins last week after spending some time with the Houston Texans.
10:30 a.m. update: The Dolphins released undrafted rookie cornerback Jason Maitre, who had a very solid camp after winning a job as a tryout player during rookie minicamp. Maitre, the former Wisconsin player, finished preseason with a 72.3 passer rating in his coverage area, which is very good defensively. Miami has interest in Maitre for its practice squad.
10:15 a.m. update: The Dolphins waived undrafted rookie defensive tackle Leonard Payne, who played four years at Fresno State and one year at Colorado. Payne had some moments during camp but was never able to make inroads against older players for two or three backup defensive tackle jobs.
9:03 a.m. update: The Dolphins started cuts in rapid-fire fashion on Tuesday morning. Sources confirmed three releases at around the same time: former Miami Hurricanes receiver Mike Harley Jr., defensive tackle Isaiah Mack and defensive tackle Robert Cooper.
Harley, UM’s all-time leader in career receptions, had an impressive catch in the preseason finale against Tampa. The Dolphins told him they liked how he performed in his two weeks with the team and might bring him back to the practice squad.
Mack had several sacks in training camp practices, but the Dolphins needed to make decisions on several backup defensive tackles of similar quality (Neville Gallimore, Jonathan Harris, Brandon Pili, Mack).
Cooper, a former FSU player, had been a long-shot to stick; he joined the team more than a week into camp.
This story was originally published August 27, 2024 at 9:16 AM.
