Dolphins To Sign LB Ronnie Harrison
The Dolphins are signing Ronnie Harrison to a one-year deal, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter, bringing the veteran linebacker to his fourth NFL team in the last five seasons and fifth in his eight-year career.
Harrison, 28, played for the Falcons in 2025, appearing in 10 games with four starts and 277 defensive snaps, 40% of the team’s total. He also played 181 snaps on special teams, the second-most involvement of his career behind 197 snaps in 2024. The 6-foot-3 linebacker held up in coverage but had the worst tackling season of his career with a 17.1% missed tackle rate.
Harrison should have an opportunity to carve out a rotational role in the Dolphins defense, especially with his previous experience as a safety. The team has Jordyn Brooks and Tyrel Dodson as their starting linebackers, but their No. 3 is unclear after K.J. Britt signed with the Patriots in free agency. Former Chiefs and Saints starter Willie Gay was active for every game last year, but he was only trusted with 131 snaps on defense with an almost-equal amount of time on special teams.
Miami has questions at safety, too, with their top three contributors from 2025 no longer on the roster. Minkah Fitzpatrick was traded to the Jets, and Ashtyn Davis and Ifeatu Melifonwu both hit free agency. Harrison has 908 career snaps at safety, per Pro Football Focus (subscription required), more than any Dolphins safety outside of recent signing Lonnie Johnson.
Originally a Jaguars third-round pick in 2018, Harrison started 22 games across his first two years in Jacksonville before he was traded to the Browns. After three years and 23 starts in Cleveland, he spent most of the 2024 season on the Colts’ practice squad before arriving in Atlanta the following year.
Falcons To Designate LB Divine Deablo For Return
The Falcons should soon have their starting inside linebacker back in the lineup. According to Terrin Waack of the team’s website, the Falcons will be designating Divine Deablo for return from injured reserve.
Deablo last saw the field in Week 7, when he suffered a fracture in his left forearm. Head coach Raheem Morris indicated that his linebacker should be back on the field for Week 12, meaning it will only be a minimum IR stay for the starter.
A former Raiders third-round pick, Deablo joined the Falcons this offseason via a two-year, $14MM deal. He was one of the team’s most productive defenders through the first six weeks, as the acquisition collected 24 tackles and 0.5 sacks. Notably, he ranks fourth among 81 qualifiers on Pro Football Focus’ positional rankings.
With Deablo out of the lineup, the Falcons have turned to JD Bertrand and Ronnie Harrison to play opposite Kaden Elliss in the middle of their defense. Harrison has seemed to leap Bertrand in recent weeks, with the journeyman collecting 22 tackles and two sacks in his four appearances. Deablo will likely slide back into his starting spot next to Elliss, but Morris indicated that Harrison will still be in line for a role moving forward.
“We played some really good ball with JD,” Morris said (via Waack). “But Ronnie has really earned more reps and more role, and it’s kind of been increased since he’s been here. A lot of credit to Ronnie, a man that’s come here with us from training camp and really increased his role from a practice squad player to a special teams player to now being out there with that first-team defense in some situations. The way he’s playing, it’s going to do nothing else but increase.”
As Waack notes, the 3-7 Falcons have dropped each of the four games they’ve played without Deablo in the lineup. While the linebacker won’t solve all of the team’s woes, he’ll surely help his squad as they look to make a late-season push.
Falcons Place LB Divine Deablo On IR, Activate S Jordan Fuller
Linebacker Divine Deablo has been superb in his first season with the Falcons, but the team will go without him for the foreseeable future. The Falcons placed Deablo on IR with a broken forearm on Saturday. He’ll miss at least four games and won’t be eligible to return until Week 12.
[RELATED: Kirk Cousins To Start Week 8]
A former third-round pick and a Raider for the first four seasons of his career, Deablo left Las Vegas to sign a two-year, $14MM pact with Atlanta last March. The deal worked out well for the Falcons until Deablo suffered his injury in a loss to the 49ers last Sunday.
Over six games this year (all starts), Deablo has tallied 24 tackles, four passes defensed, a fumble recovery, and a half-sack. Opposing quarterbacks have mustered a weak 79.6 passer rating when they’ve thrown Deablo’s way. Not surprisingly, Pro Football Focus ranks Deablo’s overall performance seventh among 78 qualifying linebackers.
Thanks in part to Deablo, Atlanta’s defense ranks second in the NFL in yards per game allowed and eighth in points surrendered this year. Second-year linebacker JD Bertrand will be among those tasked with filling in for Deablo. Defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich said this week he’ll take a “committee” approach in replacing the 6-foot-3, 223-pound Deablo, who combines a linebacker’s size with the athleticism of a defensive back (via Scott Kennedy of SI.com).
While Deablo is now on injured reserve, the Falcons brought back safety Jordan Fuller from IR on Saturday. The former Ram and Panther signed a one-year deal with the Falcons last March, joining Deablo as an offseason free agent pickup. He played 16 of his 17 snaps on special teams in a Week 1 loss to the Buccaneers before succumbing to a knee injury. With 56 career starts, Fuller will give the Falcons experienced depth behind the starting safety tandem of Jessie Bates and Xavier Watts.
Linebacker/defensive back Ronnie Harrison will join Fuller as part of Atlanta’s ‘D’ on Sunday against Miami. The Falcons signed Harrison from their practice squad to their 53-man roster on Saturday. They also elevated quarterback Easton Stick and wide receiver Dylan Drummond from their P-squad.
With backup quarterback Kirk Cousins considered ” highly likely” to start in place of usual starter Michael Penix Jr., who’s dealing with a knee injury, Stick’s elevation likely indicates that Penix will be inactive on Sunday. Since Stick isn’t on the 53-man roster, only two quarterbacks will be active for tomorrow’s game. If Penix is able to start, Stick will likely be designated the inactive third quarterback, but with things trending towards Cousins starting behind center to start tomorrow’s game, Penix could be the inactive passer.
Wednesday NFL Transactions: NFC 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 Buccaneers, Falcons, Panthers and Saints moves are noted below.
Atlanta Falcons
Signed to practice squad:
- WR Chris Blair, CB Cobee Bryant, WR Dylan Drummond, OL Joshua Gray, S Ronnie Harrison, CB C.J. Henderson, OLB Khalid Kareem, K Lenny Krieg, WR Nick Nash, T Brandon Parker, TE Joshua Simon, QB Easton Stick, DL Kentavius Street, T Carter Warren, RB Carlos Washington
Carolina Panthers
Claimed:
- CB Damarri Mathis (from Broncos), WR Dalevon Campbell (from Chargers)
Waived:
Signed to practice squad:
- LB Krys Barnes, CB Shemar Bartholomew, OLB Boogie Basham, DE Jared Harrison-Hunte, OL Jarrett Kingston, LB Maz Mwansa, TE Bryce Pierre, WR Ja’seem Reed, CB Mike Reid, DT Sam Roberts, WR/PR Ainias Smith, T Mike Tarquin, S Trevian Thomas, OL Brandon Walton
New Orleans Saints
Claimed:
- WR Trey Palmer (from Buccaneers), G Xavier Truss (from Broncos)
Signed to practice squad:
- WR Kevin Austin, DL Jonah Williams
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Signed to practice squad:
- DL Adam Gotsis
Falcons Cull Roster To 53 Players
The Falcons trimmed their roster down to 53 players with the following moves:
Released
- S Jordan Fuller
- LB Ronnie Harrison
- CB C.J. Henderson
- EDGE Khalid Kareem
- OT Brandon Parker
- QB Easton Stick
- DL Kentavius Street
- CB Keith Taylor
Waived
- DL Simeon Barrow Jr.
- S Henry Black
- WR Chris Blair
- CB Cobee Bryant
- RB Jashaun Corbin
- WR Dylan Drummond
- OL Joshua Gray
- K Lenny Krieg
- CB Dontae Manning
- WR Nick Nash
- TE Joshua Simon
- RB Carlos Washington Jr.
- OL Jordan Williams
Placed on injured reserve (designated to return)
- DL Ta’Quon Graham
- OL Storm Norton
Placed on reserve/PUP
Placed on reserve/NFI
- LB Malik Verdon
Released from IR with injury settlement
- OL Jake Hanson
Fuller, Harrison, and Henderson all have previous starting experience in the secondary, though Harrison has since converted to linebacker and exclusively played special teams last season. Fuller missed half of the 2024 season due to injury, while Henderson, a former top-10 draft pick, spent the year with the Steelers but didn’t appear in a regular-season game.
With right tackle Kaleb McGary landing on season-ending IR, Parker could be a candidate to have a handshake agreement to be signed to the practice squad and remain in the team’s game day plans for the season. He will be crucial tackle depth with Norton sidelined for at least four weeks (and likely more) after ankle surgery
Bryant was a projected Day 3 pick who surprisingly went undrafted. Though he didn’t do enough to make the 53-man roster, the Falcons are hoping that he can clear waivers and return to the practice squad, per FOX Sports’ Jordan Schultz.
Though Younghoe Koo is coming off a down year, the Falcons are sticking with the veteran kicker and waived Krieg, a German-born rookie. The Falcons are planning to re-sign him to the practice squad if he clears waivers, according to NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo. As an international player, Krieg is eligible to be an extra, 17th player on Atlanta’s practice squad.
Washington is expected to spend his third NFL season on the Falcons’ practice squad, per D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He was only elevated once in 2024 and played exclusively special teams in that game.
Graham started 16 games over his first four years in the NFL but saw his snap share drop to a career low in 2024. He’ll be out for a minimum of four games with an undisclosed injury.
Falcons, S Ronnie Harrison Agree To Deal
Ronnie Harrison has lined up his next NFL opportunity. The veteran safety has agreed to a deal with the Falcons, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports. 
[RELATED: Reviewing Falcons’ Offseason]
After splitting his first five seasons between the Jaguars and Browns, Harrison spent the 2023 campaign in Indianapolis. He handled a 51% defensive snap share during that time but was limited to seven games. Harrison was among the Colts’ roster cuts last summer, although he quickly rejoined the team via a practice squad agreement.
In total, the 28-year-old made 10 appearances with Indianapolis last season. During that time, Harrison played just three defensive snaps but was a key contributor on special teams. A similar workload can be expected in the event he survives roster cuts with Atlanta later this month.
The Falcons still have Jessie Bates in place as a full-time starter for 2025. The other first-team spot belonged to Justin Simmons last year, but it has become increasingly clear during the offseason that he will not be brought back. As a result, a competition between free agent addition Jordan Fuller and third-round rookie Xavier Watts is ongoing.
The runner-up in that contest will be expected to handle a notable special teams role. The same will be true in Harrison’s case, and it will be interesting to see how he fares through the remainder of training camp and the Falcons’ two remaining preseason games.
Minor NFL Transactions: 10/28/24
Today’s minor moves:
Dallas Cowboys
- Suspended: DE Sam Williams
Indianapolis Colts
- Signed to active roster: S Ronnie Harrison Jr.
- Placed on IR: S Trevor Denbow
New York Giants
- Promoted: LB Tomon Fox, CB Greg Stroman Jr.
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Signed to active roster: RB Jonathan Ward
- Promoted: WR Brandon Johnson
- Placed on IR: WR Roman Wilson
- Waived: RB Aaron Shampklin
Tennessee Titans
- Activated off IR: LB Cedric Gray
- Waived: DL Abdullah Anderson
Cowboys defensive lineman Sam Williams has already been ruled out for the 2024 season thanks to a torn ACL, and now he’s been slapped with a three-game suspension for violating the NFL’s Personal Conduct Policy (via Clarence Hill Jr. of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram). The unpaid suspension went to effect prior to Week 8, and the player will be eligible for reinstatement prior to Week 11. The punishment stems from Williams’ reckless driving charge from 2023.
The Colts lost a key special teamer for the season in Trevor Denbow, as Joel A. Erickson of the Indy Star reports that the player suffered “injuries to multiple ligaments and cartilage” during yesterday’s game. Denbow has appeared in 65 percent of his team’s ST snaps over the past two seasons, and he’s been limited to only six defensive snaps over that time.
Minor NFL Transactions: 9/14/24
Saturday’s minor transactions and gameday practice squad callups:
Arizona Cardinals
- Elevated: T Jackson Barton
Baltimore Ravens
- Elevated: CB Ka’dar Hollman, RB John Kelly
Carolina Panthers
- Elevated: TE Feleipe Franks
Dallas Cowboys
- Elevated: TE Princeton Fant, LB Nick Vigil
Denver Broncos
- Elevated: RB Tyler Badie, WR Lil’Jordan Humphrey
Detroit Lions
- Elevated: WR Tom Kennedy, WR Tim Patrick
Green Bay Packers
- Elevated: QB Sean Clifford
Houston Texans
- Elevated: CB D’Angelo Ross
Indianapolis Colts
- Elevated: DE Genard Avery, S Ronnie Harrison
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Elevated: CB Christian Braswell
Las Vegas Raiders
- Elevated: OLB K’Lavon Chaisson, CB Sam Webb
Los Angeles Chargers
- Elevated: S Tony Jefferson, LB Shaquille Quarterman
Minnesota Vikings
- Elevated: RB Myles Gaskin, DL Jonah Williams
New Orleans Saints
- Elevated: S Ugo Amadi, LB Isaiah Stalbird
New York Giants
- Elevated: LB Tomon Fox, LB Ty Summers
- Placed on IR: WR Gunner Olszewski
New York Jets
- Elevated: DE Jalyn Holmes
San Francisco 49ers
- Elevated: S Tracy Walker
- Placed on IR: RB Christian McCaffrey (story)
Seattle Seahawks
- Elevated: T McClendon Curtis, RB George Holani
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Elevated: DT C.J. Brewer, DL Mike Greene
Tennessee Titans
- Elevated: LB Luke Gifford
Washington Commanders
- Signed to active roster: LB Nick Bellore
- Elevated: CB Bobby Price, DE Carlos Watkins
Patrick was among the Broncos’ final roster cuts after a Saints trade was discussed. The 30-year-old missed the 2022 and ’23 campaigns due to ACL and Achilles tears, respectively. Patrick did not need to wait long to find a new opportunity, though, quickly landing a practice squad deal with the Lions. He is now positioned make his season debut tomorrow as a complementary option in Detroit’s passing attack.
Olszewski is dealing with a groin injury and he was known to be facing a long-term absence. Today’s move thus comes as no surprise, but it ensures at least a four-week absence. The former All-Pro scored a punt return touchdown with Pittsburgh early last season and added another during his 10-game Giants stretch to close out the year. The team will need to rely on other options in the return game for the time being.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/11/24
Today’s practice squad transactions:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: OT Charlie Heck
Carolina Panthers
- Signed: TE Feleipe Franks
Denver Broncos
- Signed: WR Kaden Davis
Detroit Lions
- Signed: DL Chris Smith
Indianapolis Colts
- Signed: S Ronnie Harrison Jr., CB Kelvin Joseph
- Released: DE Titus Leo
Los Angeles Chargers
- Signed: CB Dicaprio Bootle
New Orleans Saints
- Signed: CB Shemar Jean-Charles
New York Jets
- Signed: LB Jackson Sirmon
Philadelphia Eagles
- Signed: S Caden Sterns
- Released: TE Jack Stoll
San Francisco 49ers
- Signed: OL Chris Hubbard
- Released: DE Jonathan Garvin
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: LB Kyron Johnson
Colts Release S Ronnie Harrison
As early roster cuts continue around the league, Ronnie Harrison is among the players being let to by the Colts. The veteran safety was released on Sunday, per a team announcement.
[RELATED: Recapping Colts’ Offseason]
Harrison spent the 2023 campaign with Indianapolis, making seven appearances and three starts. The 27-year-old notched a pair of interceptions while logging a 51% snap share on defense. He was also a contributor on special teams, something which helped him land a new Colts deal in March.
That pact was for the veteran’s minimum and did not include any guaranteed money. As a result, this move will not create any dead cap charges for the Colts as they move forward with questions looming in the secondary. Julian Blackmon – who re-signed in Indianapolis after a lengthy free agent spell – is a lock for one starting role on the backend. Who joins him as the other safety remains to be seen, and Harrison had seen time with the first-team defense during training camp.
Others in that regard included Nick Cross and Rodney Thomas, and attention will now turn to their respective places in the safety pecking order. The former entered the league with high expectations as a third-rounder in 2022, but he has only made four starts to date. The latter, by contrast, has started 25 contests over his two seasons in the league. Thomas logged a defensive snap share of 82% in 2023, and even if Harrison is brought back via the practice squad he is likely to once again play a large role this year.
Harrison is a vested veteran, so he will not need to clear waivers upon being let go. The former Jaguar and Brown will therefore be able to sign with any interested team immediately; failing that, he could re-join the Colts via their taxi squad later this week. The team did not show interest in Justin Simmons, and an outside safety addition is not expected at this point. With or without Harrison in the fold, the Blackmon-Thomas-Cross trio will be used heavily in 2024.