Dolphins Move Roster To 53
The Dolphins have trimmed their roster to 53:
- RB Daniel Thomas (Twitter link via Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald)
- OL Sam Young (Twitter link via Ian Rapoport of NFL.com)
- DL Chris Jones
- DB Rashaan Melvin (Twitter link via Joe Schad of the Palm Beach Post)
- CB Chimdi Chekwa (Twitter link via Mike Florio of PFT)
- TE Dominique Jones (Twitter link via Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald)
- DB Shamiel Gary (Twitter link via Jackson)
- DT DeAndre Coleman (Twitter link via Jackson)
- DE Cleyon Laing (Twitter link via Jackson)
- DE Jordan Williams (Twitter link via Jackson)
- G Jamil Douglas (Twitter link via Jackson)
- WR Rashawn Scott (Twitter link via Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald)
- OT Ulrick John (Twitter link via Jackson)
- TE Thomas Duarte (Twitter link via Jackson)
- CB Lafayette Pitts (Twitter link via Jackson)
- QB Zac Dysert (Twitter link via Jackson)
- LB James Burgess
- LB Tyler Gray
- S A.J. Hendy
- DE Cedric Reed
- LB James-Michael Johnson
This offseason, Thomas hooked on with the Dolphins for what was to be his third stint with the team. Thomas had a path to making the 53-man roster, but his chances were hurt when the team added Arian Foster late in the offseason. In four seasons with Miami, Thomas ran for 1,480 yards off of 409 attempts, good for just 3.6 yards per carry. In 2014, he saw time in 12 games, rushing for 168 yards off of 44 carries, good for a 3.8 yard average on each try. At one point in time, Thomas was looked at as a significant piece of the Dolphins offense, but he fell out of favor in Miami and has been yo-yoed on and off the roster.
Chekwa at one point was in the mix to win a starting job with Miami. However, for one reason or another, he couldn’t make the final cut. The Dolphins now have rookie Xavien Howard back on the field and free agent addition Chris Culliver, so they have enough bodies at cornerback.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Saints To Waive Chris McCain
The Saints will cut defensive end Chris McCain, a source tells Josh Katzenstein of NOLA.com (Twitter link). New Orleans had just acquired McCain from the Dolphins days ago.
McCain, 24, is entering his third season in the NFL, but hasn’t contributed much during his first two years in the league. He’s appeared in 19 games, but he’s been more of a special teams player than a defensive stalwart. McCain picked up a sack and a forced fumble in 2015, but only played on 113 total snaps (43 on defense), and wasn’t ticketed for a larger role this year.
The Dolphins will not acquire a conditional draft pick from Miami given that McCain did not make the roster.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Dolphins Place Dion Jordan On NFI List
The Dolphins placed defensive end Dion Jordan on the reserve/non-football injury list, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. The designation puts him on the shelf for the first six weeks of the season. Linebacker Zach Vigil has also been placed on the NFI list, which brings the Dolphins down to 75 players on the roster. 
For much of the offseason, the Dolphins were unsure as to whether they’d have Jordan in uniform. When commissioner Roger Goodell reinstated Jordan this summer, there were rumblings of a split in the Dolphins’ front office with regards to Jordan. Some were optimistic about what the former No. 3 overall pick could do. Others were in favor of moving on from Jordan or, at the very least, renegotiating the terms of his deal. Everyone in the Dolphins organization was likely frustrated upon learning that Jordan quietly had surgery on his knee this offseason. When Jordan reported in late July, he failed his physical. He’ll now get some extra time to heal up before taking the field.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Dolphins Lose Vinston Painter On Waivers
- The Redskins announced that they’ve claimed offensive lineman Vinston Painter off waivers from the Dolphins.
Saints To Acquire Chris McCain From Dolphins
6:10pm: The Dolphins will receive a conditional seventh-round pick, tweets Jackson.
5:11pm: The Saints have struck a deal to acquire linebacker Chris McCain from the Dolphins, according to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald (Twitter link). Rand Getlin of NFL.com (Twitter linknk) the first to report that a trade was in the works.
McCain, 24, is entering his third season in the NFL, but hasn’t contributed much during his first two years in the league. He’s appeared in 19 games, but he’s been more of a special teams player than a defensive stalwart. McCain picked up a sack and a forced fumble in 2015, but only played on 113 total snaps (43 on defense), and wasn’t ticketed for a larger role this year.
In New Orleans, special teams will likely be the area of focus for McCain once again. The Saints have a decent crop of linebackers, with Stephone Anthony, James Laurinaitis, and Dannell Ellerbe making up the starting three, and McCain is unlikely to push free agent addition Craig Robertson for playing time. Given that he was an undrafted free agent, McCain is entering the final year of hi deal, but will only reach restricted free agency after 2016.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Isaiah Pead Out Two Weeks
- Baltimore isn’t the only AFC club dealing a running back injury, as the Dolphins‘ Isaiah Pead will be sidelined at least two weeks with a hamstring injury, head coach Adam Gase told reporters, including Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald (Twitter link). Pead, a former second-round pick, had been drawing rave reviews in recent weeks, if it’s unclear if Miami will hold a roster spot for him while he gets healthy.
Dolphins Release Brandon Harris, Waive 10 Others
The Dolphins have pared their roster down to 78 players today, moving closer to the first-cut deadline of 75. They waived 10 players (Twitter link) and released cornerback Brandon Harris, who has sufficient service time to avoid waivers.
- LB Akil Blount
- C/G Ruben Carter
- WR A.J. Cruz
- LS Ryan DiSalvo
- WR Matt Hazel
- TE Gabe Hughes
- K Marshall Koehn
- CB Al Louis-Jean
- G Vinston Painter
- WR Brandon Shippen
A former Texans second-round pick out of the University of Miami in 2011, Harris has played in 42 games but has yet to start one. His service time runs from 2011-14, with the ex-Hurricane seeing action for three years in Houston and one, 2014, in Tennessee. A torn ACL sustained last summer while employed by the Titans stalled Harris’ career, one that saw him land with the Dolphins late last month.
Miami’s Chris Culliver signing pushed Harris further on the bubble, and he’ll now attempt to find a new home.
Hazel landed with the Dolphins as a sixth-rounder in 2014 and played in five games last season, starting one. This leaves seven wideouts still on the Fins’ roster, with Griff Whalen and UDFA Rashawn Scott potentially battling for a roster spot.
DiSalvo lost the long-snapping battle to longtime Dolphin John Denney, and Koehn couldn’t beat out Andrew Franks for the kicker job.
Painter was a Broncos sixth-rounder in 2013 who’s played in three games — all with the Browns in 2014.
Jelani Jenkins Has Cleanup Surgery
- Dolphins linebacker Jelani Jenkins underwent a “cleanup” procedure on his knee, reports Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald (Twitter link), and although Jackson doesn’t specify a timeline, it’s fair to assume the operation took place fairly recently. Defensive end Terrence Fede, meanwhile, has a sprained MCL, so Miami’s defensive depth could be getting a little thin. The Dolphins had interest in adding linebacker Stephen Tulloch before he signed with the Eagles, so the club could look to add some bodies to its defense during the next few weeks.
Dolphins Remove Farrington Huguenin From IR
- The Dolphins removed defensive lineman Farrington Huguenin from injured reserve with an injury settlement, per Wilson (Twitter link).
Isaiah Pead Could Make Dolphins Roster
- Dolphins running back Isaiah Pead is making a strong push for a roster spot, ESPN.com’s James Walker writes. The only locks at RB are Jay Ajayi, Arian Foster, and rookie Kenyan Drake, who is currently injured. That leaves Pead in a triple threat match with Damien Williams and Daniel Thomas for one spot and it sounds like Pead may have the edge. Pead has impressed the Dolphins with his work ethic, a pleasant surprise given the reputation he made for himself with the Rams.