Dolphins Set 53-Man Roster, Begin Search For Kicker
The Dolphins got their roster down to 53 players this afternoon and, in the process, officially placed kicker Jason Sanders on IR. Here are the rest of the team’s moves:
Released:
- CB Cornell Armstrong
- LB Quinton Bell
- RB Mike Boone
- TE Pharaoh Brown
- T Jackson Carman
- CB Cameron Dantzler
- DT Matt Dickerson
- CB Mike Hilton
- TE Chris Myarick
- CB Kendall Sheffield
Waived:
- CB BJ Adams
- WR Andrew Armstrong
- T Mason Brooks
- T Braeden Daniels
- WR Erik Ezukanma
- T Ryan Hayes
- WR AJ Henning
- DT Alex Huntley
- LB Dequan Jackson
- LB Mohamed Kamara
- T Jalen McKenzie
- LB Derrick McLendon
- S Patrick McMorris
- LB Grayson Murphy
- G Josh Priebe
- CB Ethan Robinson
- TE Hayden Rucci
- S John Saunders Jr.
- RB Aaron Shampklin
- DT Ben Stille
- LB Channing Tindall
- WR Theo Wease Jr.
- G Addison West
Waived/injured:
Waived (with injury settlement):
Placed on IR (designated for return):
Placed on reserve/PUP:
In four seasons with the team, Eichenberg has started at every position on the offensive line. The Dolphins will miss his versatility while he’s out, but head coach Mike McDaniel confirmed recently that Eichenberg’s injury is not a season-ending one.
Sanders’ hip injury landed him on injured reserve, meaning Miami will be without him for at least the first month of the season. To deal with his absence, the Dolphins hosted four veteran kickers — Zane Gonzalez, Greg Joseph, Riley Patterson, and Eddy Pineiro — for tryouts today, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Besides that, there weren’t many surprises in the cuts today. Tindall had been a core special teamer for each of his first three years in Miami but may have to find his way to the field through the practice squad. According to Cameron Wolfe of NFL Network, Murphy had a really strong summer with the team and should be back on the practice squad, as long as he clears waivers.
NFL Reserve/Futures Deals: 1/7/25
Many teams have started signing players to reserve/futures contracts, allowing the organization to retain (routinely) young, practice squad players through the offseason. Here are the latest reserve/futures contracts:
Arizona Cardinals
- DE Anthony Goodlow, OL Sincere Haynesworth, RB Zonovan Knight, NT P.J. Mustipher
Atlanta Falcons
- WR Makai Polk
Buffalo Bills
Chicago Bears
- TE Jordan Murray
Cincinnati Bengals
- CB Micah Abraham, RB Gary Brightwell, CB Nate Brooks, WR Cole Burgess, OT Andrew Coker, DE Raymond Johnson III, S PJ Jules, S Jaylen Key, G Tashawn Manning, WR Kendric Pryor, LB Craig Young
Indianapolis Colts
Las Vegas Raiders
- DL Tyler Manoa
Miami Dolphins
- WR Tarik Black, LB William Bradley-King, S Jordan Colbert, DT Neil Farrell, OT Ryan Hayes, OL Chasen Hines, LB Dequan Jackson, CB Isaiah Johnson, CB Jason Maitre, OT Bayron Matos, LB Derrick McLendon, TE Hayden Rucci
San Francisco 49ers
- OL Isaac Alarcon, WR Russell Gage, WR Isaiah Hodgins, OT Jalen McKenzie
Wednesday NFL Transactions: AFC East
Following the 53-man roster cutdown deadline Tuesday, many teams will make slight tweaks to their rosters. In addition to waiver claims, teams can begin constructing their 16-man practice squads today. These Bills, Dolphins, Jets and Patriots moves are noted below.
Buffalo Bills
Signed:
Claimed:
Signed to practice squad:
- RB Frank Gore Jr., WR Deon Cain, WR KJ Hamler, WR Tyrell Shavers, TE Zach Davidson, OL Richard Gouraige, OL Will Clapp, OL Mike Edwards, DE Kingsley Jonathan, DE Kameron Cline, DT Eli Ankou, DT Branson Deen, CB Daequan Hardy, CB Te’Cory Couch, S Kareem Jackson
Miami Dolphins
Released:
Claimed:
- WR Grant Dubose
Signed to practice squad:
- S Jordan Colbert, WR Erik Ezukanma, DT Jonathan Harris, OL Chasen Hines, LB Dequan Jackson, CB Isaiah Johnson, T Bayron Matos, RB Anthony McFarland Jr., CB Nik Needham, TE Hayden Rucci.
New England Patriots
Signed:
Claimed:
- LB Curtis Jacobs, T Demontrey Jacobs, DT Eric Johnson, T Zachary Thomas
Released:
- DT Trysten Hill, OL Michael Jordan, WR Jalen Reagor
Waived:
Signed to practice squad:
- T Liam Fornadel, RB Kevin Harris, RB Terrell Jennings, WR Matt Landers, DE Jotham Russell, DB A.J. Thomas, TE Mitchell Wilcox
New York Jets
Signed:
Claimed:
Waived:
Signed to practice squad:
- LB Sam Eguavoen, OL Obinna Eze, TE Anthony Firkser, OL Jake Hanson, DL Bruce Hector, DL Jalyn Holmes, S Jaylen Key, TE Zack Kuntz, OL Kohl Levao, QB Adrian Martinez, LB Marcelino McCary-Ball, WR Lance McCutcheon, S Jarius Monroe, CB Kendall Sheffield, WR Brandon Smith, CB Tre Swilling, RB Xazavian Valladay
Dolphins Reduce Roster To 53 Players
After two-straight Wild Card Round losses, the Dolphins are hoping to take another step forward in 2024. The team started prepping for a crucial campaign today, as they set their 53-man roster by making the following moves:
Released:
- LB Curtis Bolton
- LS Blake Ferguson
- DT Neville Gallimore
- DT Jonathan Harris
- DT Isaiah Mack
- RB Anthony McFarland Jr.
- CB Nik Needham
Waived:
- LB David Anenih
- WR Je’Quan Burton
- S Jordan Colbert
- DT Robert Cooper
- WR Erik Ezukanma
- WR Mike Harley Jr.
- OL Chasen Hines
- RB Zander Horvath
- LB Dequan Jackson
- WR Jadon Janke
- CB Isaiah Johnson
- OL Matthew Jones
- CB Jason Maitre
- OT Bayron Matos
- WR Kyric McGowan
- DT Leonard Payne
- S Mark Perry
- TE Hayden Rucci
Waived/injured:
- RB Chris Brooks
- OT Ryan Hayes
- WR Braylon Sanders
Placed on IR:
- WR River Cracraft (designated for return)
- LB Wyatt Ray
- CB Cam Smith (designated for return)
Placed on reserve/PUP list:
- WR Odell Beckham Jr. (story)
- LB Bradley Chubb (story)
- LB Cameron Goode
- OL Isaiah Wynn (story)
According to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald, the expectation is that long snapper Blake Ferguson will end up re-upping with the Dolphins, with his release solely being for roster machinations. The former sixth-round pick has spent his entire career in Miami, with the special teamer appearing in 67 games.
Nik Needham‘s stay in Miami has come to an end after five seasons. The former UDFA started 27 of his 61 appearances with the organization, although the majority of his production came in his first three seasons with the Dolphins. Between 2019 and 2021, the defensive back hauled in six interceptions, but after returning from a 2022 season-ending injury, he only got into 71 defensive snaps in 2023.
There was some hope that Neville Gallimore could provide the Dolphins with some defensive line depth when he caught on with the organization. The former third-round pick never clicked in Dallas, but he still got into 52 games in his four years with the organization. He collected four sacks and nine QB hits over the span, and he twice managed to top 400 defensive snaps in a campaign.
Dolphins Sign RB Anthony McFarland Jr., Release RB Salvon Ahmed
As the Dolphins continued to add at running back under Mike McDaniel, Salvon Ahmed kept waging successful battles to keep his roster spot. But the Brian Flores-era acquisition received word Monday he would be released.
During a busy day for Dolphins transactions, the team cut the fifth-year running back. Ahmed re-signed in March, staying in Miami on a one-year deal worth $1.29MM. The Dolphins did not guarantee Ahmed anything upon bringing him back, and the team made another key move at running back weeks after keeping the enduring former UDFA.
Mentioned as a release candidate before the trade addition of Jeff Wilson back in 2022, Ahmed managed to stick around despite the subsequent De’Von Achane draft choice. This year, however, the Dolphins traded up for Tennessee speedster Jaylen Wright. With ex-McDaniel 49ers charges Wilson and Raheem Mostert still around, Ahmed did not seem to have a realistic path to the team’s active roster. The team also rosters Chris Brooks, who arrived as a UDFA under McDaniel.
It would seemingly not be out of the question Ahmed — a Dolphin since 2020 — resurfaced on the team’s practice squad, but this early release would give him a shot at landing somewhere else. Most teams are not as deep as Miami in the backfield, pointing to Ahmed having another chance. Though, he does not exactly play a position on the right end of the supply-and-demand spectrum. A Washington alum, Ahmed rushed for 319 yards as a rookie but has not surpassed 150 in a season since.
The Dolphins are also adding at running back, signing former Steeler Anthony McFarland Jr. The 2020 fourth-rounder spent the past four seasons with the Steelers, working in a reserve role. McFarland, 26, has only topped 30 rushing yards in one season (2020, when he amassed 113). The Steelers used one of their eight allotted IR activations on the third-string RB last season but waived him later in the year.
Miami also signed fullback Zander Horvath along with linebacker Dequan Jackson and wide receiver Jadon Janke. The team placed Willie Snead and offensive lineman Sean Harlow on IR and waived linebacker Ezekiel Vandenburgh with an injury designation. Snead caught on with the Dolphins in late July, joining a team that placed Odell Beckham Jr. on the active/PUP list.
It does not sound like OBJ will come off the list especially soon, McDaniel said (via the Miami Herald’s Barry Jackson). Beckham will not practice this week, per McDaniel. Teams to not have to disclose the nature of injuries before injury reports return ahead of Week 1, so Beckham’s issue remains a bit of a mystery.
While it does not sound like the Dolphins are overly concerned, Beckham certainly has dealt with a number of injuries. Health issues led to his tumble off the superstar tier, but the veteran wideout has remained a viable contributor. The Dolphins gave OBJ a one-year, $3MM deal ($3MM guaranteed) to be their No. 3 wideout.
Jaguars Sign Terrell Edmunds, Tre Flowers
Two veteran DBs will make mid-offseason arrivals in Jacksonville. The team reached agreements with safety Terrell Edmunds and cornerback Tre Flowers on Thursday, adding some secondary depth.
Flowers, 27, is following new Jags DC Ryan Nielsen from Atlanta. The veteran corner caught on with the Falcons, in what turned out to be Nielsen’s only Atlanta season, last May and worked as a part-time starter. Included in the October trade that sent Kevin Byard to Philadelphia, Edmunds also made a handful of starts in 2023.
This will mark a third straight year in which Flowers has signed a one-year contract. The former Seahawks draftee, who commandeered a starting spot from the jump despite being a fifth-round pick, signed a Bengals deal in 2022 and played in all 17 Falcons games last year. The Jags will give the 44-game starter a shot to vie for a role among a cornerback group that has seen some updates this offseason.
Following its Darious Williams release, the team added Ronald Darby. Although the Jags did not use a first-round pick on a corner — as rumors suggested they considered — they added pieces here in the third and fifth rounds (Jarrian Jones, Deantre Prince).
Edmunds, 27, has logged more starts as a pro. The former Steelers first-round pick worked as a regular starter from 2018-22 in Pittsburgh; last season’s four starts upped his career total to 79. The Eagles used Edmunds as a three-game starter, as they cut costs at safety by letting C.J. Gardner-Johnson and Marcus Epps walk in free agency, but included him in the pre-deadline trade that brought Byard over from the Titans. Edmunds made one start in Tennessee but played in nine games with his third NFL employer.
Operating as Minkah Fitzpatrick‘s sidekick from 2019-22, Edmunds graded as a top-40 safety (per Pro Football Focus) in 2022 and landed in the top 25 two seasons prior. Edmunds stands to have a clearer path to playing time, as the Jaguars moved on from three-year safety starter Rayshawn Jenkins and did not replace him this offseason. The team still rosters starter Andre Cisco and role player Andrew Wingard (26 career starts), but one of the team’s offseason questions involves who will start opposite Cisco.
PFF has never viewed Flowers as an upper-echelon corner, helping explain his April and May contract agreements. Both players have proven durable. Between the 2018 draftees’ 12 NFL seasons, only Flowers’ 2020 campaign (in which he missed four games) involved more than two missed games. Flowers also has changed teams in-season, being waived by the Seahawks before catching on with the Bengals — during their Super Bowl LVI-qualifying slate — and operating as a key backup.
To make room on their 90-man offseason roster, the Jaguars waived linebacker Dequan Jackson and waived wide receiver Wayne Ruby with an injury designation.
NFL Reserve/Futures Contracts: 2/13/24
Today’s reserve/futures deals:
Jacksonville Jaguars
- OL Chandler Brewer, DB Tevaughn Campbell, DL D.J. Coleman, OLB De’Shaan Dixon, DB Erick Hallett II, LB Dequan Jackson, DB Amani Oruwariye, DL Esezi Otomewo, DB Ayo Oyelola, TE Josh Pederson, OL Keaton Sutherland, OL Darryl Williams, WR Seth Williams
Kansas City Chiefs
- DT Isaiah Buggs
San Francisco 49ers
- OL Sebastian Gutierrez, DB Kemon Hall, S Erik Harris, S Tayler Hawkins, WR Tay Martin, DL Sam Okuayinonu, LB Curtis Robinson, TE Jake Tonges, DL Spencer Waege
Oruwariye spent much of the 2023 season on the Jaguars practice squad, with the defensive back getting into just one game. The former fifth-round pick has more experience than your standard reserve/futures contract, as Oruwariye started 29 games for the Lions between 2020 and 2021. That latter season was one of his strongest, as he finished with 57 tackles, 11 passes defended, and six interceptions.
Wednesday NFL Transactions: AFC South
Following the 53-man roster cutdown deadline Tuesday, many teams will make slight tweaks to their rosters. In addition to waiver claims, teams can begin constructing their 16-man practice squads today. These Colts, Jaguars, Texans and Titans moves are noted below.
Houston Texans
Claimed:
- DB Alex Austin, G Nick Broeker
Waived:
Signed to practice squad:
- DT Khalil Davis, T Austin Deculus, CB Cobi Francis, DL Ali Gaye, S Brandon Hill, WR Johnny Johnson, TE Dalton Keene, OL Jimmy Morrissey, DE Adedayo Odeleye, DE Derek Rivers, WR Steven Sims, LB Garret Wallow, P Ty Zentner
Indianapolis Colts
Placed on IR:
- TE Jelani Woods (story)
Signed:
- WR Isaiah McKenzie (story)
Claimed:
Waived:
Signed to practice squad:
- LB Liam Anderson, S Henry Black, S Marcel Dabo, RB Jake Funk, S Ronnie Harrison (story), RB Jason Huntley, WR D.J. Montgomery, DE Al-Quadin Muhammad (story), LB Donavan Mutin, WR Amari Rodgers, DT Caleb Sampson, T Dan Skipper, WR Mike Strachan, CB Isaac Taylor-Stuart, CB Kevin Toliver, WR Juwann Winfree
Jacksonville Jaguars
Claimed:
Waived:
Signed to practice squad:
- OL Chandler Brewer, OLB D.J. Coleman, OL Coy Cronk, DL De’Shaan Dixon, CB Erick Hallett, LB Dequan Jackson, TE Derek Parish, QB Nathan Rourke, OL Darryl Williams, WR Seth Williams, CB Tevaughn Campbell, RB Snoop Conner, WR Jacob Harris
Tennessee Titans
Claimed:
Waived:
Signed to practice squad:
- LB Chance Campbell, DB Shyheim Carter, DB Eric Garror, WR Tre’Shaun Harrison, WR Mason Kinsey, DB Armani Marsh, DE T.K. McLendon, TE Thomas Odukoya, T John Ojukwu, DE Sam Okuayinonu, DT Kyle Peko, T Andrew Rupcich, LB Thomas Rush, DT Michael Dwumfour, TE Kevin Rader, G Jordan Roos
Released:
- OL Corey Levin
Released from IR via injury settlement:
- CB Josh Thompson
- RB Jonathan Ward
Jaguars Trim Roster To 53
Teams have until 3pm CT to trim their rosters to the 53-man limit. The Jaguars are getting an early start. Here are the players the Jags cut Tuesday:
Released:
- OL Chandler Brewer
- CB Tevaughn Campbell
- DL Michael Dogbe
- OL Bobby Evans
- OL Blake Hance
- RB Qadree Ollison
Waived:
- LS Tucker Addington
- WR Kevin Austin
- S Latavious Brini
- OLB D.J. Coleman
- RB Snoop Conner
- OL Coy Cronk
- DL De’Shaan Dixon
- CB Erick Hallett
- WR Jacob Harris
- CB Kaleb Hayes
- LB Dequan Jackson
- OL Samuel Jackson
- WR Oliver Martin
- K James McCourt
- S Ayo Oyelola
- TE Derek Parish
- TE Josh Pederson
- TE Gerrit Prince
- WR Kendric Pryor
- QB Nathan Rourke
- OLB Jordan Smith
- OLB Willie Taylor
- DL Raymond Vohasek
- OL Darryl Williams
- WR Seth Williams
- CB Divaad Wilson
Waived/injured:
Placed on IR:
- LB Ventrell Miller
- OL Josh Wells
Placed on reserve/suspended list:
Placed on exempt list:
- CB Chris Claybrooks
Several of these players will be back, in all likelihood, via practice squad deals. Waiver claims process at 11am CT on Wednesday. Free agents can make plans to join P-squads early, but teams will not have the full picture of who is available until the waiver claims process.
Conner and Ollison being off the roster leaves third-round rookie Tank Bigsby, D’Ernest Johnson and Jamycal Hasty in place behind starter Travis Etienne. The Jaguars chose Conner in the 2022 fifth round, and while they traded James Robinson before last year’s deadline, Conner did not receive much work. He totaled 12 carries for 42 yards as a rookie.
Wells returned to Jacksonville earlier this month, but this IR placement will halt a journey back to regular-season work with his initial NFL team. Wells, 32, started nine games for the Jags from 2014-18. He then worked as a key Buccaneers backup over the past several years. Players placed on IR before the season are not eligible for in-season activations, though an injury settlement could allow Wells to play this season.
Jaguars Sign 11 UDFAs
Jacksonville announced their class of undrafted rookie free agents on Monday. Here is a breakdown of the prospects who will compete to fill out their roster this summer:
- DT Jayson Ademilola, Notre Dame
- OLB DJ Coleman, Missouri
- WR Elijah Cooks, San Jose State
- CB Kaleb Hayes, BYU
- LB Dequan Jackson, Colorado State
- LB Matthew Jackson, Eastern Kentucky
- OL Samuel Jackson, UCF
- WR Jaray Jenkins, LSU
- WR Oliver Martin, Nebraska
- TE Leonard Taylor, Cincinnati
- CB Divaad Wilson, UCF
Jacksonville had 13 picks in this year’s draft in addition to the above names, so they will have plenty of rookies on hand to add to last year’s successful team. The group includes a number of intriguing names, though no reports have emerged yet with respect to sizeable guarantees in any of their respective contracts.
Ademilola and Coleman are heading into the NFL after very different college journeys, but they each posted notable production. The former totaled seven sacks and 13.5 tackles for loss over the past two seasons, and could find a role for himself as a rotational pass-rusher on the interior after a lengthy career with the Fighting Irish. The latter only played at Ole Miss for one season, but he recorded 4.5 sacks, 8.5 TFLs and three forced fumbles in that time, which could help earn him an extended look.
Of the three receivers signed, Cooks is the largest (6-4, 215 pounds) and most productive of the bunch in terms of 2022 statistics. After five years at Nevada, he transferred to San Jose State and had a career-year. Cooks totaled 1,076 yards on 69 receptions, and led the Mountain West Conference with 10 touchdowns. Those figures far outpaced what he had in all but one of his previous seasons, and could point to potential at the NFL level as a depth option.