Dolphins sever ties with seven players ahead of rookie minicamp
The Miami Dolphins let go of a slew of players ahead of the start of rookie minicamp.
Long snapper Taybor Pepper was released Monday afternoon while six others — cornerback Isaiah Johnson, tight end Zack Kuntz, cornerback Jason Maitre, edge Derrick McLendon, inside linebacker K.C. Ossai and punter Seth Vernon — were waived, according to the team. Johnson and Maitre, who both suffered knee injuries in 2025, failed their physicals.
Rookie minicamp starts Friday.
Pepper, who has appeared in 100 games across his nine-year career with the Green Bay Packers, Dolphins and San Francisco 49ers, will be immediately eligible to sign with another team while the other six will hit the waiver wire.
Of the seven players, McClendon’s departure particularly stands out. The former Colorado standout joined the Dolphins as an undrafted free agent in 2024 and had a stellar 2025 training camp where he displayed great prowess as a pass rusher.
“One of my favorites is ‘DMac,” edge rusher Bradley Chubb said in late August 2025. “The energy he brings into our outside linebacker room and to see his growth from the start of camp to now — it’s just going to keep growing.”
McClendon would finish the preseason with two sacks, two tackles for loss and eight total tackles across three preseason games. Unfortunately, that wasn’t enough as he would find himself buried on the bench behind a slew of edge rushers including Chubb, Jaelen Phillips and Chop Robinson. His only appearance came in the Dolphins’ 2025 season finale against the New England Patriots.
Johnson, who had oscillated between cornerback and safety during his time in Miami, joined the Dolphins in 2024 as an undrafted free agent. He spent two years on the practice squad before making his first of four appearances in 2025, racking up three special teams tackles in the process. Johnson suffered a torn ACL during a late December practice in 2025.
Maitre spent most of his tenure with the Dolphins on the practice squad after signing as undrafted free agent in 2024. He would later suffer a significant knee injury during a May 2025 practice that would keep him out of the entire season.
A seventh-round pick by the New York Jets in the 2023 NFL Draft, Kuntz signed a reserve/future contract with the Dolphins in February. He had previously appeared in two games with the Jets — one in 2023, another in 2024 — yet spent the majority of his time in New York with the practice squad.
Similar to Kuntz, Vernon had a very quick tenure with the Dolphins. Miami signed the punter in mid-March after he spent the 2025 season in the United Football League with the Michigan Panthers. He had previously spent time with the Atlanta Falcons, Minnesota Vikings and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Ossai joined the Dolphins practice squad in early December 2025. He had previously spent time with the Houston Texans, a team that signed him as undrafted free agent in 2025.
With a slew of players now off the roster, it will be worthwhile to see if — and who — the Dolphins add between now and training camp.
This story was originally published May 4, 2026 at 2:54 PM.
