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.
Dolphins Sign Laremy Tunsil, 12 UDFAs
The Dolphins have locked up their first-round pick, announcing today (via Twitter) that offensive lineman Laremy Tunsil has signed his rookie contract. The team also confirmed that seventh-round quarterback Brandon Doughty has signed his deal, as reported on Thursday.
Tunsil, the 13th overall pick last Thursday, had been expected to be the No. 1 overall pick before the Titans sent that selection to the Rams in a pre-draft trade. Tunsil continued to slip on draft night when, less than an hour before the event got underway, a video surfaced of the former Ole Miss tackle smoking marijuana out of a gas-mask bong.
While the Dolphins were thrilled to have Tunsil fall to them, there’s still some lingering concern within the organization about how he may have been affected by the pre-draft leak, and whether that leaker may continue to attempt to do damage, according to Ed Werder of ESPN.com (Twitter links). Still, those concerns aren’t significant enough to postpone Miami’s signing of Tunsil, and the rookie lineman’s contract contains no unique clauses to protect the team, says Werder.
In addition to signing Tunsil, the Dolphins also announced that they have added 12 undrafted free agents to their roster. Here’s the full list of Miami’s UDFAs:
- LB Akil Blount (FAMU)
- LB James Burgess (Louisville)
- C/G Ruben Carter (Toledo)
- LS Ryan Disalvo (San Jose State)
- LB Tyler Gray (Boise State)
- S A.J. Hendy (Maryland)
- TE Gabe Hughes (Florida Tech)
- DE Farrington Huguenin (Kentucky)
- K Marshall Koehn (Iowa)
- CB Lafayette Pitts (Pittsburgh)
- WR Rashawn Scott (Miami)
- WR Brandon Shippen (Temple)