The Miami Dolphins host the Jacksonville Jaguars on Saturday night in the final preseason game for both teams. While this is a last chance for the teams to prepare for the start of the regular season, it is also the last chance for players to force the coaches into finding roster space for them. Final cuts are looming, and players need to make an impression if they want to stick with the team into the regular season.
Teams will have to drop from the preseason 90-man roster limit to the regular season’s 53-man limit by 4 p.m. Eastern on Tuesday. While most of the roster is probably already set in the minds of the coaches and front office, a breakout performance on Saturday could be enough to shake up that thinking.
As tonight’s kickoffs gets closer, we take a look at some of the bubble players who are hoping to land on the positive side of the cut line. There is a representative from most of the position groups listed, and the majority of these players, if they are cut, could be practice squad options for the team once they clear waivers. Teams can carry 16 players on the practice squad and can include veterans, so there is a good chance Miami will bring back several of the players they are forced to release.
Tahj Washington, wide receiver
Washington has been on the roster projection each time this year, but the numbers game may just not workout in his favor. Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle are roster locks, Malik Washington feels like he is in that category as well, and, despite having not really developed a chemistry with quarterback Tua Tagovailoa yet, Nick Westbrook-Ikhine should easily make the roster as well. Dee Eskridge has shown up in preseason games and is working as a returner for the team. That puts five wide receivers ahead of Tahj Washington. Can Miami afford a sixth spot, or will Tahj Washington have to hope for a practice squad position?
Pharaoh Brown, tight end
Yes, Brown signed with the team this year on a one-year free agent contract. Yes, he is a blocking tight end and the Dolphins could use a blocking tight end. Assuming Darren Waller is the top option on the depth chart, despite having just started practicing, and Julian Hill has worked his way into a roster spot, the Dolphins may have a tough choice. The roster numbers may not allow the team to keep four tight ends, leading to a decision between Brown and Tanner Conner. Conner could be headed to the practice squad, but he has shown flashes this summer that may have pushed him ahead of Brown on the depth chart, with the team choosing to keep a younger player on the roster over the 31-year-old veteran blocker. This is really a matter of if the Dolphins can keep four tight ends over anything Brown did or did not do this summer.
Kion Smith, offensive lineman
Miami needs depth on the offensive line, but Smith seems to have regressed this year. He may still be trying to fully from the ACL tear that cost him the 2024 season, but it has not been a good summer for Smith. He probably still makes the roster, but if the Dolphins need to find a roster spot, Smith could find himself on the wrong side of the cut line. He is someone who could be claimed off waivers, so the Dolphins need to weigh that into their decision on releasing him or not.
Zeek Biggers, defensive tackle
The Dolphins appear to be stacked on the defensive line, where Zach Sieler headlines a group that will include Benito Jones, Kenneth Grant, Jordan Phillips, and Matt Dickerson. Can Biggers – or Ben Stille – force the team to keep six linemen? Biggers and Stille have both played well enough to claim a roster spot, but there is no one ahead of them on the depth chart who has struggled and is in risk of falling.
Grayson Murphy, outside linebacker
Murphy, like Biggers, has done enough to claim a roster spot, but there just is no room ahead of him. Jaelan Phillips, Bradley Chubb, Chop Robinson, and Quinton Bell all should be on the roster, and then the team added Matthew Judon. That would seem to be five edge rushers ahead of Murphy. The Dolphins could make a surprise cut somewhere else on the roster in an effort to keep Murphy, and his play this summer has made that a possibility, but six edge rushers is hard to envision with just 53-roster spots available.
Channing Tindall, inside linebacker
Is Tindall on the bubble at this point, or has he already lost his roster position? A strong performance against the Jaguars could force him back into consideration, but the 2022 third-round pick may have run out of time to make an impression.
Cam Smith, cornerback
Is Smith on the bubble at this point, or has he already lost his roster position? A strong performance against the Jaguars could force him back into consideration, but the 2023 second-round pick may have run out of time to make an impression.
Patrick McMorris, safety
McMorris runs into a wall of players in front of him on the depth chart. Minkah Fitzpatrick, Elijah Campbell, Ifeatu Melifonwu, and rookie Dante Trader, Jr., all appear as roster locks. Where McMorris may have a shot at making the roster is in Ashtyn Davis’ roster spot, depending on how injured the veteran is. If Davis is going to start the year on injured reserve, McMorris could provide depth and special teams options the Dolphins have to consider.
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