Dolphins Waive LB David Long
The Dolphins made a somewhat shocking move by waiving linebacker David Long on Wednesday to make room for waiver claim tight end Jack Stoll, according to a team announcement.
Long was voted by his teammates to be a team captain in Miami at the start of the season, making his midseason departure a surprise after starting six of the Dolphins’ eight games this year. Anthony Walker took over Long’s starting role in the last two games, and the arrival of former Seahawks linebacker Tyrel Dodson via waivers made Long surplus to requirements in Miami.
Instead, the Dolphins prioritized Stoll to add another tight end to their roster after Alec Ingold missed Monday night’s game with a calf injury. The 2023 Pro Bowler played 39% of the team’s offensive snaps when healthy this year, consistent with his usage since head coach Mike McDaniel‘s arrival in 2022. The Dolphins’ use of heavy personnel required them to add another tight end in case Ingold’s absence extends into Week 11.
Despite losing his starting job this season, Long could still draw interest on waivers from a team looking for linebacker depth. He was in the second year of a two-year, $10MM contract with the Dolphins signed during the 2023 offseason, per OverTheCap. Miami will eat a dead cap hit of at least $2.21MM – the 2024 prorated portion of his signing bonus – plus $444,444 in guaranteed salary if Long is not claimed off waivers. If another team claims Long, they will owe him $2MM for the rest of the year and the Dolphins will not be on the hook for his remaining guaranteed salary. If Long clears waivers, he will become a free agent and can sign with whatever team he likes, while Miami will have a $2.65MM dead cap hit on their books.
The Eagles waived Stoll on Tuesday to make room on their 53-man roster for the activation of left tackle Jordan Mailata from injured reserve.
Dolphins Designate G Isaiah Wynn For Return; Latest On OLB Bradley Chubb
The Dolphins received a tough blow recently, with Austin Jackson set for season-ending knee surgery. That continued an injury-plagued stretch for the team up front, but after a season-saving win over the Rams, Miami received some better news on the O-line front.
Out for more than a year, Isaiah Wynn is finally ready to practice. The Dolphins will designate the would-be guard starter for return from the PUP list today, per the Miami Herald’s Barry Jackson. Wynn re-signed with the team this offseason but has been down since October 2023 due to a quad injury.
A former tackle starter in New England, Wynn came to Miami with little momentum due to an unimpressive Patriots contract year that also involved injury trouble. The former first-round pick, who missed his entire rookie season due to injury, caught on with the Dolphins and won the team’s left guard job entering last season. Wynn held that gig until his quadriceps setback, which removed him from Miami’s O-line equation seven games into the season.
The Dolphins nevertheless re-signed Wynn this offseason, giving him a one-year deal worth $1.89MM. This marked a slight pay cut after Wynn played for $2.3MM in 2023. Miami bid farewell to multiple long-term starters in March, with Christian Wilkins and right guard Robert Hunt becoming two of this year’s highest-paid free agents. The Dolphins, who also released Xavien Howard and Jerome Baker to reach cap compliance, made low-level moves — in re-signing Wynn and Robert Jones — following the Hunt defection.
Wynn, 28, has already missed half of his first two seasons with the Dolphins. It will be interesting to see if he needs a lengthy ramp-up period before returning to Miami’s 53-man roster. Pro Football Focus did not rate Wynn especially well as Miami’s LG last season, but he started all seven games he played. The Dolphins have used Jones as their left guard in Wynn’s absence. Jones has started all nine games at that spot this season, while Liam Eichenberg has manned the RG job post-Hunt.
While Wynn is moving close to a return, Mike McDaniel said Bradley Chubb is not yet ready. Also spending all of this season on the reserve/PUP list, Chubb is rehabbing an ACL tear sustained in Week 17 of last season. McDaniel said (via Jackson) linebacker Cameron Goode, who suffered a patella tendon tear in Week 17, is a bit ahead of Chubb in terms of recovery.
This is turning into a lost season for Chubb, who is signed to a five-year, $110MM extension that runs through the 2027 season. The Dolphins, who also saw free agency addition Shaq Barrett retire, are down Jaelan Phillips for the year as well. Anything they get from Chubb will probably be considered a bonus, but with the playoffs still a possibility, Miami certainly could benefit from a late-season Chubb return.
Minor NFL Transactions: 11/12/24
Today’s minor moves:
Denver Broncos
- Waived: DB Keidron Smith
Miami Dolphins
- Placed on IR: TE Tanner Conner
Philadelphia Eagles
- Waived: TE Jack Stoll
Tennessee Titans
- Claimed off waivers (from Rams): OL Logan Bruss
Bruss was waived by the Rams yesterday to make room for returning linemen Steve Avila and Jonah Jackson. A former third-round pick, Bruss didn’t make an appearance through his first two seasons in the NFL but started three of his eight appearances in 2024.
Dolphins RT Austin Jackson Out For Season
Austin Jackson used a bounce-back 2023 season to score a solid extension. Midway through this year, however, another injury will place a high hurdle in the veteran blocker’s path.
Placed on IR on Monday, Jackson is now out for the season. Mike McDaniel confirmed Jackson will undergo knee surgery, via ProFootballNetwork.com’s Adam Beasley. This will mark a second season derailed by injury in three years, as an ankle malady sidelined Jackson for most of the 2022 slate.
This is obviously a tough blow to a Dolphins team that has dealt with injuries and some cost-related turnover up front over the past year. Miami did not re-sign Connor Williams, who had gone down late last season, and let Robert Hunt walk due to cost constraints this offseason. The Dolphins also have would-be left guard starter Isaiah Wynn on the PUP list; Wynn has been out for over a year. While Jackson got in a good 2023 season while the rest of Miami’s starting O-line ran into injury trouble, he has been in this boat before.
An ankle injury sustained in Week 1 of the 2022 season sidelined Jackson for 15 games, with a comeback attempt weeks later shutting him down for the season. The Dolphins roster high-end left tackle Terron Armstead, but the Pro Bowler has dealt with a litany of maladies during his time in New Orleans and Miami. Armstead has missed two games this season. Jackson had played in all but one game over the past two years.
The Dolphins drafted Jackson in the 2020 first round and did not pick up his fifth-year option. Jackson moved from left tackle to guard to right tackle during his time in Miami, settling at RT last year. His 2023 performance prompted the Dolphins to hand out a three-year, $36MM extension in December of last year. Jackson, 25, is signed through the 2026 season.
PFF has Armstead graded first among all tackles this season, one that comes after the former Saints mainstay considered retirement. Jackson ranks 56th. In preparation for a future without Armstead, the Dolphins drafted Patrick Paul in the second round. Miami, though, started veteran swingman Kendall Lamm in place of Jackson on Monday night.
Lamm, 32, has 38 starts on his resume and has been in McDaniel’s system for three seasons. It appears Paul is still being groomed, though he did make one start in place of Armstead earlier this season. This injury brings the Houston product closer to the starting lineup, but it looks like Miami will use Lamm as RT relief for the time being.
Dolphins Claim LB Tyrel Dodson
As the Seahawks disbanded their linebacking duo assembled in free agency, both discarded players are now in the AFC. Not long after Jerome Baker ended up with the Titans, the Dolphins have added Tyrel Dodson.
Mike McDaniel confirmed the team claimed the former Bills linebacker. Dodson is signed to a one-year, $2.25MM deal, giving the Dolphins just more than $1MM in base salary owed.
The Dolphins are quite familiar with Dodson, as he spent four seasons with the Bills. He now arrives months after the team released Baker. Miami signed ex-Seattle first-rounder Jordyn Brooks following its Baker release. Dodson, who helped replace Brooks with the Seahawks, is now en route to Florida.
Dodson started all nine games for the Seahawks, who cut him not long after acquiring Ernest Jones via trade from the Titans. Dodson worked as a part-time Bills performer during his first three seasons but became a regular last year, as the division champs lost Matt Milano for most of the season. Dodson received high marks from Pro Football Focus for his 2023 showing; this season, PFF has him ranked 36th among off-ball LBs.
A former UDFA in his age-26 season, Dodson led the Seahawks with 71 tackles — just three shy of his 17-game total with the Bills last season. The Dolphins will also pick up a player who learned Mike Macdonald‘s scheme this year. That proves relevant with the Dolphins also hiring a former Ravens assistant (Anthony Weaver) as DC. Baker also landed with a team running the Baltimore defense, with Dennard Wilson installed as Tennessee’s DC.
The Dolphins are flooded with veterans on their defensive second level. In addition to Brooks, the Fins have David Long, Anthony Walker and Duke Riley at the position. Dodson is heading into a crowded mix, and it will be interesting to see if he can make it back to a first-string role with his new team. Dodson has started 19 games over the past two seasons, doing so after logging just five over his first three.
Minor NFL Transactions: 11/11/24
Here are today’s minor moves around the NFL:
Dallas Cowboys
- Reinstated from suspension: DE Sam Williams
Detroit Lions
- Waived: LB Abraham Beauplan
Green Bay Packers
- Designated for return from injured reserve: RB Marshawn Lloyd
Houston Texans
- Reinstated from suspension, one-game roster exemption granted: DE Mario Edwards
Los Angeles Rams
- Elevated from practice squad: DE Jonah Williams
Miami Dolphins
- Elevated from practice squad: LS Tucker Addington, OT Jackson Carman
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed to active roster from practice squad: CB Josh Jobe
- Claimed off waivers: NT Brandon Pili
- Placed on injured reserve: S K’Von Wallace
Williams completed his three-game suspension for violating the NFL’s personal conduct policy. He remains on injured reserve after a season-ending knee injury suffered during training camp.
Edwards served a four-game suspension for violating the NFL’s substance abuse policy and is now eligible to be reinstated to the Texans’ active roster. Houston requested and received a one-game roster exemption to give Edwards an additional week to practice with the team before being added back to the 53-man roster.
Dolphins Place T Austin Jackson On IR, Activate WR River Cracraft
The Dolphins have made a number of moves ahead of their Monday night matchup. Right tackle Austin Jackson has been moved to injured reserve, while wideout River Cracraft has been activated.
Jackson will be out for at least the next four games as a result of today’s move. He has served as Miami’s starter at the right tackle spot all year, continuing his run of starting all but two of his career appearances with the Dolphins. The former first-rounder has seen more success on the right side than the left (where he began his NFL tenure), and his absence will be felt up front. Kendall Lamm will replace Jackson in the starting lineup.
Last December, Jackson agreed to a three-year, $36MM extension which cemented his status as a key member of Miami’s offensive line. The 25-year-old drew underwhelming PFF grades during each of his first three seasons, but the 2023 campaign resulted in his best evaluation to date in both pass protection and run blocking. Jackson’s overall mark of 60 this year is a step back, but he will still be missed as the Dolphins look to remain as strong up front as possible after Tua Tagovailoa‘s latest concussion.
Cracraft was among the many players around the league who were placed on IR during roster cutdowns while being designated for return in the process. As a result, his activation (in terms of the Dolphins’ limit of eight for the year) has already been accounted for. As Miami moves forward with five such activations available, the team will welcome Cracraft into the fold for his season debut. The 30-year-old is set to reprise a depth role on offense, although with Tyreek Hill questionable for tonight he could see a notable workload against the Rams.
Miami has also signed defensive tackle Neil Farrell to the active roster. The 26-year-old made nine appearances with the Raiders in 2022, followed by a pair of games with the Chiefs. He has been used as a gameday elevation twice so far by the Dolphins, so that would have been an option once more before a deal on the active roster would have become necessary. Instead, Farrell has now been promoted from the practice squad, setting him up to serve in a rotational role along the defensive front.
Ravens Trade For Calais Campbell Fell Short
The Ravens were especially aggressive at the trade deadline as they looked to improve their defense. The team made an aggressive bid for Marshon Lattimore before landing Tre’Davious White from the Rams. If the front office had their way, they also would have reunited with an old friend.
[RELATED: Ravens Acquire CB Tre’Davious White From Rams]
According to Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated, the Ravens were close to completing a trade with the Dolphins for defensive tackle Calais Campbell. However, the deal ultimately fell apart at the last minute.
The veteran defensive lineman had a three-year stint in Baltimore between 2020 and 2022, starting 40 of his 41 appearances. Over that span, he collected 11 sacks, 14 tackles for loss, and 36 QB hits, and he got into another three playoff games for the organization. Campbell was cut by the team at the end of the 2022 campaign and caught on with the Falcons, where he spent one season.
The 38-year-old joined the Dolphins this past offseason and has started all eight of his appearances for his new squad, collecting 28 tackles and two sacks. Despite getting up there in age, Campbell still ranks fourth on Pro Football Focus’ rankings of interior defensive lineman, an improvement from his 23rd-place showing in 2023. The Ravens could have used some DL depth with Michael Pierce sitting on injured reserve and Brent Urban dealing with a concussion.
As for the trade they did make, Breer notes that White agreed to remove all playing-time incentives to help facilitate a trade to Baltimore.
Minor NFL Transactions: 11/9/24
Today’s minor moves, including standard gameday practice squad elevations:
Arizona Cardinals
- Elevated: CB Divaad Wilson
Atlanta Falcons
- Elevated: WR Chris Blair, OLB Khalid Kareem
Buffalo Bills
- Elevated: WR Tyrell Shavers, WR K.J. Hamler
- Placed on IR: LB Baylon Spector
Chicago Bears
- Activated from IR: G Ryan Bates (story)
- Elevated: T Jake Curhan, LB Carl Jones Jr.
Dallas Cowboys
- Elevated: CB Josh Butler, WR Jalen Cropper
Denver Broncos
- Activated from IR: C Luke Wattenberg
- Elevated: FB Michael Burton, LB Zach Cunningham
Detroit Lions
- Signed to active roster: LB Abraham Beauplan, OLB Al-Quadin Muhammad, TE Shane Zylstra
- Elevated: T Jamarco Jones, LB Zeke Turner
- Placed on IR: LB Jalen Reeves-Maybin
- Waived: DE Isaiah Thomas
Houston Texans
- Elevated: DT Tommy Togiai
Indianapolis Colts
- Elevated: WR Laquon Treadwell
Kansas City Chiefs
- Elevated: LB Cole Christiansen, WR Justyn Ross
Los Angeles Chargers
- Signed to active roster: TE Tucker Fisk
- Elevated: CB Eli Apple, OLB Caleb Murphy
Miami Dolphins
- Waived: DT Brandon Pili
Minnesota Vikings
- Elevated: LS Jake McQuaide
New England Patriots
- Elevated: LB Joe Giles-Harris, TE Mitchell Wilcox
New Orleans Saints
- Elevated: WR Kevin Austin, WR Dante Pettis
New York Giants
- Elevated: LB Curtis Bolton, WR Isaiah Hodgins
New York Jets
- Elevated: K Spencer Shrader
San Francisco 49ers
- Elevated: S Tashaun Gipson
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Activated from IR: LS Evan Deckers
- Elevated: WR Marquez Callaway, LB Vi Jones
- Waived: LS Zach Triner
Tennessee Titans
- Elevated: C Corey Levin, S Daryl Worley
Washington Commanders
- Signed to active roster: RB Chris Rodriguez Jr.
- Elevated: K Zane Gonzalez, DE Efe Obada
- Placed on IR: TE Colson Yankoff
Spector will miss at least the next four games as a result of the Bills’ move. He has remained a mainstay on special teams this year, having also done so in 2022 and ’23. The former seventh-rounder has made three starts on defense, however, so his absence will be felt moving forward. Linebacker has been a position hit hard by injuries this season, and Buffalo’s depth at the second level will now be tested even further.
Wattenberg had his 21-day practice window opened by the Broncos earlier this week, paving the way for today’s activation. The 27-year-old operated as the team’s starting center prior to going down after having won a summer competition for the gig with Alex Forsyth. Forsyth handled first-team duties over the past four games, drawing a superior PFF evaluation and therefore potentially playing his way into an extended look atop the depth chart. At a minimum, having Wattenberg back will give Denver – a team with three IR activations left – depth up front.
Ravens Offered Third-Round Pick For Marshon Lattimore
The Ravens’ trade deadline moves were a bit anticlimactic, especially considering that Baltimore is thought to be a contender in a championship window who should be receiving the full allotment of compensatory draft picks in 2025. It appears that the Ravens’ lackluster result wasn’t necessarily for lack of trying, as Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated reports that Baltimore put in an offer to trade for former Saints cornerback Marshon Lattimore. 
According to Breer, the Ravens offered up a third-round pick for the veteran cornerback. Jordan Schultz of FOX Sports adds that this was initially a battle of the AFC’s top contenders as the Chiefs and Ravens each attempted to acquire Lattimore, but Washington, a blooming contender in their own right, swooped in at the final moment to outbid them.
Per Schultz, the Commanders saw their extensive draft capital in the upcoming offseason and their top-four cap space for 2025 and decided to acquire Lattimore as another building block for the next few seasons. Breer reports that Lattimore initially wasn’t even being made available. It wasn’t until former head coach Dennis Allen got fired that the Saints started hearing out offers on the defender.
He adds that Lattimore wasn’t the only Ravens trade target for whom the team fell short. Breer relays that Baltimore also was on the homestretch to reacquire defensive lineman Calais Campbell from the Dolphins. The aging veteran spent three years with the Ravens from 2020-22, making a Pro Bowl (the sixth of his career) during his time with the team. In eight games in Miami this year, Campbell hasn’t really shown his usual production but still could’ve been a crucial addition to a Ravens defensive line that applies plenty of pressure but often struggles to finish.
Instead, the Ravens held on to their likely 11 draft picks for 2025 (seven rounds plus four compensatory picks), acquiring wide receiver Diontae Johnson from the Panthers for a 2025 late-round pick swap and oft-injured veteran cornerback Tre’Davious White and the Rams 2027 seventh-round pick for a seventh- of their own in 2026.
One of the league’s more consistent franchises when it comes to the draft, those 11 picks can be crucial for the future, but it’s likely frustrating for fans who watch the team’s 32nd-ranked pass defense and who realize just how quickly championship windows can close.