Dolphins lose Burns, make 4 roster moves, re-hire 2018 draft pick. And Wilson update
In the wake of Artie Burns’ season-ending knee injury, the Dolphins dipped back into their past to add cornerback depth on Thursday.
Miami signed veteran Cornell Armstrong, who was drafted by the Dolphins in the sixth round in 2018.
Armstrong has appeared in 39 games, with four starts, but hasn’t appeared in an NFL regular-season game since 2022.
Armstrong, who played at Southern Mississippi, had eight tackles in 15 games as a Dolphins rookie, playing 268 snaps on special teams and 83 on defense. The Dolphins released him before the following season.
He joined the Houston Texans and played 53 snaps on defense and 44 on special teams in five games in 2019, then played only one defensive snap (and 193 special teams snaps) for the Texas in 2020.
He missed the 2021 season with an injury, then appeared in nine games for Atlanta in 2022, finishing with 33 tackles and seven passes defended and playing a career-high 373 defensive snaps. He started four games, the only starts of his NFL career.
The Falcons placed him on injured reserve in August 2023 and replaced him two weeks later. He spent some time on the Raiders’ practice squad and was out of the league last season.
Per Pro Football Reference, Armstrong has a 104.2 career passer rating in his coverage area - 34 completions in 56 targets for 452 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions.
The Dolphins opted to sign Armstrong instead of raising their offers for several free agent corners who played in the league last year. Rasul Douglas, a Bills starter last season, has an offer from Miami that he hadn’t accepted as of mid-week.
The Dolphins have no clear-cut No. 1 or No. 2 cornerback on the roster after trading Jalen Ramsey and releasing Kendall Fuller. Kader Kohou is expected to be one starter.
An MRI confirmed that Burns has a torn ACL, according to a source. He will miss the 2025 season and was placed on injured reserve.
The Dolphins also worked out former Miami Columbus and Florida Gators standout cornerback C.J. Henderson, who was selected ninth overall by Jacksonville in 2020, but opted instead to sign Armstrong after his workout. Henderson has three interceptions in 49 games, including 32 starts, for Jacksonville and Carolina.
Update: In another move on Thursday, the Dolphins signed offensive lineman Obinna Eze and waived undrafted rookie offensive line Tedy Kushi.
Eze, a 6-8, 325-pound tackle, entered the NFL as an undrafted rookie with Detroit in 2022 and has spent time on the practice squad with the Lions (2022-23), Pittsburgh (2023) and the Jets (2024). He started 31 games in four seasons with Memphis, then started 12 games at left tackle in his final college season at TCU. He hasn’t appeared in an NFL game.
Zach Wilson weighs in
New backup quarterback Zach Wilson, who flamed out with the Jets after being the second overall pick in 2021, appreciates the faith that Mike McDaniel conveyed in him during their initial meeting in the spring.
“I feel sometimes I lost that in myself a little bit, understanding how talented I can be,” he said. “It’s good to feel like you have some belief from somebody.”
Joining Miami was appealing because he could “come in here and truly be the backup. More than anything, I felt wanted, I felt they really wanted me to be here. That feels good to have a staff that wants me to be here, and your game translates a lot to what we’re doing offensively.
“McDaniel is fantastic. He’s raw; he’s truly himself. You don’t feel that pressure of I need to be something right now. [He says], ‘it’s a process. I want you to trust me and trust this offense. If you make mistakes along the way, it’s a good thing because you are learning and growing from it.’ I appreciate his outlook on how he attacks things.”
Wilson, who was married in New York earlier this month, was asked why he chose the jersey number “O,” which is rare for NFL quarterbacks.
“There’s not many options [for numbers] when you come in,” he said. “I’m a single-digit guy. There weren’t many single digits available. I thought it was a cool choice.”
This story was originally published July 24, 2025 at 12:44 PM.
