Quinton Bell

Latest On Dolphins’ Position Battles

For the most part, the Dolphins are set in their depth chart for the 2024 season with many starters returning or free agents settling in. That being said, Miami is working through a few position battles as we inch our way towards eventual roster cuts.

According to Mike Florio of NBC Sports, one such battle focuses on who comes off the bench for the lead man behind center. Head coach Mike McDaniel claims that backup quarterbacks Mike White and Skylar Thompson are “neck and neck” in their battle to be the primary relief behind Tua Tagovailoa. Last year, White emerged as the winner of what McDaniel called a “pretty close race” with Thompson.

White impressed in seven starts in replacement duty during his first two seasons with the Jets. Miami signed him to a two-year contract, but with Tagovailoa staying completely healthy in 2023, White only appeared in garbage time. Thompson saw two starts in replacement duty for Tagovailoa two years ago, appearing in seven games as a seventh-round rookie and nearly leading the team to a playoff win over the Bills in a Wild Card start. Signs point to White likely retaining the job, but McDaniel insists that a bit of intrigue remains in the competition.

On the defensive line, free agent addition Calais Campbell and Zach Sieler have settled in as the starting ends. A battle has developed on the inside, though, between Benito Jones and Teair Tart, per Barry Jackson and Omar Kelly of the Miami Herald. Jones returns to South Beach after two years in Detroit, where he started 15 games last season. Despite earning the starting job last year, Jones graded out horribly, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required), ranking as the league’s 124th best interior defender out of 130 graded at the position.

Tart graded out better in nine starts for the Titans last year. Thanks to an impressive pass rush grade, Tart ranked 85th, per PFF. Both players graded out better as pass rushers than run defenders, so it will be interesting to see how this battle plays out over the remainder of the preseason.

A number of interesting stories have developed at linebacker, as well. First, while Jaelan Phillips and Bradley Chubb continue to work their way back from major injuries, Quinton Bell has reportedly “been a revelation” at camp, per Jackson. After spending the 2023 season on the team’s practice squad, the outside linebacker stands a chance at playing real time while the Dolphins wait for Phillips and Chubb to return.

At inside linebacker, Jackson notes that Miami rosters four veterans at the position, along with Cam Brown who serves as a key special teams contributor. That leaves former third-round pick Channing Tindall on the roster bubble as we near roster cuts. Tindall has appeared in 33 games over his first two years in the league but only played nine defensive snaps in 2022 and 12 in 2023. Much more is expected of a third-round pick, and with the current veteran presence blocking his path to more playing time, Tindall’s chances of remaining on the roster seem slim.

NFL Reserve/Futures Contracts: 1/15/24

With a handful of teams getting eliminated from the playoffs this weekend, those front offices are starting to prepare for the offseason. Here are today’s reserve/futures deals, with the majority coming from recently eliminated squads:

Cleveland Browns

Dallas Cowboys

Los Angeles Rams

Miami Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings

Minor NFL Transactions: 12/11/23

Here are Monday’s minor moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Green Bay Packers

Miami Dolphins

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

The Packers signed Drake to their practice squad last week, doing so as Aaron Jones continues his rehab from an MCL sprain. The Packers ruled out Jones for a third straight game Monday night. Drake has been with four teams (Colts, Ravens, Browns, Packers) since training camp.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 10/17/23

Today’s practice squad moves:

Baltimore Ravens

Chicago Bears

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

Indianapolis Colts

Kansas City Chiefs

Las Vegas Raiders

  • Signed: OT Jalen McKenzie
  • Released: WR Malik Flowers

Miami Dolphins

New England Patriots

Eagles Set 53-Man Roster

The Eagles released linebacker Nicholas Morrow and waived running back Trey Sermon today, and they’ve now cut a number of young players to get down to the 53-man roster limit:

Waived:

Released from IR:

Devon Allen is two-time Olympian hurdler, and after having played college football for Oregon between 2013 and 2016, he caught on with the Eagles last offseason. He spent most of the 2022 campaign on Philly’s practice squad, and there’s a chance he’s destined for the same gig again in 2023.

Britain Covey is another subtraction from the WRs room, although the 26-year-old played only 19 snaps on offense for the Eagles in 2022. He had a much larger role on special teams, where he returned 10 kicks for 206 yards and 33 punts for 308 yards.

Eagles Cut TE Dan Arnold, QB Ian Book, T Dennis Kelly

Sun, 8:44pm: The cuts continued in Philadelphia today, according to Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer. Among those already listed below, the Eagles waived DE Quinton Bell, RB Kennedy Brooks, DT Robert Cooper, WR Jadon Haselwood, LB Tyreek Maddox-Williams, DT Olive Sagapolu, DT Caleb Sanders, WR Freddie Swain, and DT Marvin Wilson.

Most notable of these is likely Swain, who is only two years separated from catching four touchdowns for the Seahawks in 2021. After failing to catch on with the Broncos and Dolphins in 2022 and the Eagles this offseason, Swain will have to keep looking for his next NFL home.

Sat, 9:45pm: Further names on the cut list are in, courtesy of KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson. Veteran offensive tackle Dennis Kelly is among the players being let go, putting an end to his Eagles reunion. The 33-year-old began his career in Philadelphia and returned there in July after spending last season with the Colts, but the team will move forward with its in-house options up front. A veteran of 54 starts and 130 games, Kelly will look to find a depth role elsewhere as teams search for quality fill-in options along their O-lines.

In addition to Kelly, the Eagles have released fellow linemen Josh Andrews, Cameron Tom and Brett Toth, as well as wide receiver Deon Cain.

Sat, 12:48pm: The Eagles are starting to reduce their roster to 53 players. According to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, the Eagles are releasing tight end Dan Arnold. The team has also waived tight end Tyree Jackson (per Pelissero), quarterback Ian Book (per Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer), offensive lineman Tyrese Robinson (per McLane), and wideout Johnny King (per Andrew DiCecco of InsideTheBirds.com).

According to Pelissero, the Eagles released Arnold now so the veteran would have more time to catch on with a new team. The former undrafted free agent out of UW–Platteville joined Philly earlier this offseason but was facing an uphill battle to make the final roster.

The tight end’s best season came with the Cardinals in 2020, when he hauled in 31 receptions for 438 yards and four touchdowns in 16 games (five starts). He spent most of the past two seasons in Jacksonville, hauling in 37 catches for 459 yards. Pro Football Focus generally hasn’t been a fan of Arnold’s blocking ability throughout his career, although the site has given him solid grades for his receiving skills. There’s a chance he catches on with a new team, even if he has to ultimately settled for a practice squad gig.

Jackson was facing a similar battle to make the roster considering the team’s depth at tight end. The former UDFA got into 12 games for the Eagles over the past two years, compiling three catches and one touchdown. With Arnold and Jackson out of the picture, the team’s depth chart at TE now includes Dallas Goedert, Jack Stoll, Grant Calcaterra, and Brady Russell.

Book seemed destined to be the Eagles fourth QB in 2023, so there’s a good chance he lands back on the practice squad after serving in a similar role in 2022. The former fourth-round pick got one start as a rookie with the Saints in 2021, completing 12 of his 20 pass attempts while tossing a pair of interceptions.

Eagles Release CB Greedy Williams

The Eagles have made a handful of roster moves this morning, including releasing cornerback Greedy Williams (per ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Twitter). The team also released punter Ty Zentner and waived/injured wide receiver Tyrie Cleveland, defensive tackle Noah Elliss, and cornerback Zech McPhearson.

With five new roster openings, the Eagles have signed defensive tackles Robert Cooper, Marvin Wilson, and Caleb Sanders and linebackers Tyreek Maddox-Williams and Quinton Bell.

Williams spent the first four seasons of his career with the Browns. The second-round pick started all 12 of his appearances as a rookie, but after missing the 2020 season with a shoulder injury, the defensive back found himself in and out of the lineup following his return. He started eight of his 16 appearances in 2021, and he was limited to only one start in 11 games this past season.

The 25-year-old inked a one-year deal with the Eagles this offseason. As Pro Football Network’s Adam Caplan tweets, Williams is owed $600K of the $1.35MM contract he inked with Philly.

Zentner’s release doesn’t come as a huge surprise. The Kansas State product was added as an undrafted free agent during the offseason and was expected to provide some competition at the position. This move likely means that Arryn Siposs will serve as the Eagles’ punter for a third-straight season.

Among the team’s additions, Bell has the most NFL experience. The 2019 seventh-round pick got into five games with the Buccaneers in 2020, although he didn’t record a stat. He’s spent much of the past two years with the Falcons organization, getting into four games while splitting his snaps between defense and special teams.

As for the trio of waived/injured players, Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer tweets that the Eagles expect all three players to clear waivers and revert to injured reserve. While Cleveland, Elliss, and McPhearson wouldn’t be able to play for Philly during the 2023 campaign, the Eagles would retain their rights.

Minor NFL Transactions: 4/14/23

Today’s minor transactions from around the NFL:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Buffalo Bills

  • Signed: OL Kevin Jarvis

Green Bay Packers

Pittsburgh Steelers

 

Muse’s career was in doubt early when the former third-round pick was waived by the Raiders just before his second year without him ever having played a snap for the team that drafted him. After joining the Seahawks practice squad in 2021, Muse worked to get back on track after an injury-riddled rookie season.

After working his way onto the active roster late into his first season in Seattle, Muse played in every game for the Seahawks in 2022. Serving primarily as a core special teamer, Muse even began to earn some playing time on defense late in the year.

NFL Reserve/Futures Contracts: 1/9/23

18 teams had their seasons come to an end yesterday, and their front offices have already turned the page to the 2023 NFL seaon. This started today, as a number of players were signed to reserve/futures contracts, which allows organizations to retain (routinely) young, practice squad players throughout the offseason. Here are today’s reserve/futures contracts:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Buffalo Bills

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Cleveland Browns

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Indianapolis Colts

Kansas City Chiefs

  • WR Ty Fryfogle

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Rams

New Orleans Saints

New York Jets

Washington Commanders

Minor NFL Transactions: 12/3/22

Here are the league’s minor transactions leading into the Sunday-slate of Week 13 games:

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

Cincinnati Bengals

Cleveland Browns

Dallas Cowboys

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Kansas City Chiefs

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

Los Angeles Rams

Miami Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Tennessee Titans

Washington Commanders