Roster cut-down live blog: Dolphins address Watson report, make more cuts. And injury news
The Miami Dolphins are in the process of making at least 27 transactions in advance of Tuesday’s 4 p.m. NFL deadline to cut the roster from 80 to 53. In the meantime, the team also is practicing in the early afternoon.
Keep coming back to this live blog all day for all the latest transactions, none of which have yet been announced by the team. We’ll add the latest news on top:
5 p.m: The Dolphins cut running back Gerrid Doaks, offensive tackle Adam Pankey and Benito Jones, putting the team at 53 players.
Miami kept 12 defensive backs, seven wide receivers, five tight ends and three running backs.
4:20 p.m.: The Dolphins cut linebacker Shaquem Griffin, according to a source. He was an asset on special teams but there wasn’t enough room for him on the 53.
4:15 p.m.: The Dolphins cut linebacker Calvin Munson, per source. He appeared in 18 games with two starts for the Dolphins over the past two seasons.... Josh Harvey Clemons and Kylan Johnson were released.
4:10 p.m.: A few cuts remain unconfirmed, but two players who were on the 53 as of the 4 p.m. roster deadline: undrafted rookie guard Robert Jones and undrafted Syracuse cornerback Trill Williams. Both prospects impressed the team in training camp.
4:02 p.m.: The Dolphins released receiver Malcolm Perry, according to a team source. He will be signed to the practice squad if he clears waivers. The former Navy quarterback was a seventh-round pick in 2020.
4 p.m.: The Dolphins released receiver Kirk Merritt, according to a source. He impressed the team in preseason but there wasn’t room on the roster after the team kept Jakeem Grant on a restuctured deal.
Merritt could be claimed off waivers. If not, the Dolphins likely would sign him to the 53-man roster.
3:46 p.m.: The Dolphins released running back Patrick Laird and center Cameron Tom. That would seem to bode well for running back Gerrid Doaks and interior lineman Greg Mancz, who will be the backup center.
Guard Durval Quieroz Neto won’t make the 53, but can be kept as a bonus 17th member of the practice squad. The Dolphins want to invest more time in him.
3:45 p.m.: The Dolphins released defensive end Jason Strowbridge, according to a source. The team’s former fifth round pick was competing for a backup job..
3:32 p.m.: The Dolphins waived defensive end Jonathan Ledbetter and cornerback Cre’Von LeBlanc, according to a source.
LeBlanc has played in 52 NFL games and started 16. He was competing with Javaris Davis (who was released) and Trill Williams for the sixth cornerback job if Miami keeps one.
Ledbetter missed most of the past two seasons after starting the 2019 opener.
3:30 p.m: The Dolphins explored trading receiver Jakeem Grant but ultimately kept him on a restructured contract, according to a source. Grant took a cut from $3.6 million to a deal that could be worth as much as $3 million. The final two years of his deal were eliminated.
3:20: Per sources, the Dolphins cut cornerback Javaris Davis, who impressed them earlier in camp before an injury. They want him on their practice squad.
3 p.m. The Dolphins waived quarterback Reid Sinnett and tight end Chris Myarick, per sources.
Sinnett likely will go to the practice squad unless he’s claimed by another team.
Myarick’s release leaves Miami with five tight ends. He caught the game-winning touchdown in Sunday’s preseason game in Cincinnati -- a pass thrown by Sinnett.
2:45: The Dolphins, for the first time, are pushing back on reports linking Deshaun Watson to the Dolphins, denying a very specific part of the story.
In the wake of Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio reporting that owner Stephen Ross “really wants” Watson, the team said that the Florio article “is inaccurate. Stephen doesn’t force football decisions and believes in Tua.”
So Ross is not ordering his management to pursue a Watson trade; I believe that.
The team did not deny any interest in Watson, however. Yahoo’s Charles Robinson continues to report that the Dolphins want Watson and Brian Flores considers him a “top five quarterback.”
2 p.m.: The Dolphins must release or trade 16 players in the next two hours to get down to the 53-man limit. They’ve also been active in trade talks. Players will be informed of their status shortly.
12:30 p.m: At least 15 players who are practicing with the Dolphins on Tuesday will be released by 4 p.m. In addition to all the cuts mentioned below, linebackers Josh Harvey Clemons isn’t in attendance and is a likely cut. Linebacker Kylan Johnson (COVID list) also is expected to be cut.
Receiver Kai Locksley also is missing and was released, per a league source.
A bunch of bubble players are still here, including tight end Chris Myarick, safety Clayton Fejedelem, linebacker Shaquem Griffin and several others.
We’re hearing the Dolphins are hoping to find a way to keep cornerback Trill Williams, the undrafted rookie from Syracuse. It’s a numbers game at this point. Williams isn’t at practice because of a minor medical issue.
12:15: Tight end Adam Shaheen has a compression sleeve on his leg and is working on the sideline at Dolphins practice; he’s questionable for Week 1 with a knee injury... Tight end Cethan Carter also has a compression sleeve on his leg but is back practicing....
Also on the side, besides Shaheen: Offensive lineman Liam Eichenberg and cornerback Cre’Von LeBlanc, who have legs injuries. LeBlanc’s isn’t serious; he’s hoping to make the 53-man roster...
Receivers Albert Wilson and Will Fuller aren’t participating in the walkthrough; Brian Flores had said Wilson would be participating. Preston Williams is working on the side...
Receiver DeVante Parker is no longer in a red noncontact jersey. He’s good to go.
Safety Jevon Holland is back from an injury and practicing.
11:30 a.m.: Please click here for my full report from Brian Flores’ press conference just now.
10:00 a.m.: This isn’t a Dolphins cut, but it is relevant to Miami: The Patriots released quarterback Cam Newton, meaning Miami will face Alabama rookie Mac Jones in the opener for both teams at 4:25 p.m. on Sept. 12.
Jones, in preseason, was 39 for 58 for 412 yards and one touchdown.
The Dolphins had success against the last rookie QB they faced -- the Chargers’ Justin Herbert. He went 20 for 32 for 187 yards, two touchdowns and one interception and an 86.3 rating in a 29-21 Dolphins win last November.
9:25 a.m.: Rookie offensive tackle Larnel Coleman is undergoing knee surgery - a procedure that will requires two to three months of recovery time, according to a team source.
Coleman will be placed on IR before the 53-man roster is set, which would end his season.
Coleman, drafted in the seventh round, is the latest Dolphins rookie draft pick to miss time with an injury, but his appears to be the most serious.
Safety Jevon Holland has missed more than a week with an undisclosed injury but is walking without visible distress. Offensive lineman Liam Eichenberg has been sidelined twice - initially with a shoulder injury and now with a lower-body injury that kept him out of the Bengals game.
Tight end Hunter Long is wearing a brace on his left knee after an injury in early August. Linebacker Jaelan Phillips has been back for awhile after missing two weeks with a hamstring injury.
Monday report: On Monday, according to sources, the Dolphins released linebacker Benardrick McKinney, running back Jordan Scarlett, cornerback Tino Ellis, defensive lineman Tyhsun Render, safety Nate Holley, center Matt Skura and receiver Khalil McClain.
Other players might have also been informed of their release, but those were the five that were confirmed.
Here are full details.
Keep checking back for more.
This story was originally published August 31, 2021 at 9:27 AM.
