The Dolphins then will find out which cut players aren’ t claimed by other teams and select from that group to make up their 16- player practice squad. The Dolphins can also add other teams&#…
The final few active-roster cuts are annually some of the toughest decisions NFL teams have to make as August turns to September and training camp turns into regular season prep.
Miami Dolphins general manager Chris Grier and coach Mike McDaniel have several questions to answer by the Tuesday 4 p.m. deadline to cut their roster from 80 to 53 players. They have five weeks of training camp plus three preseason games, with players on the border of the active roster making their lasting impression in Saturday’s 48-10 exhibition win over the Philadelphia Eagles.
The Dolphins then will find out which cut players aren’t claimed by other teams and select from that group to make up their 16-player practice squad. The Dolphins can also add other teams’ cuts, if they find them worthy of a roster spot.
Do the Dolphins keep three quarterbacks? How many and which running backs and receivers nab the final spots? How many decisions will be determined by special teams contributions? Which players won their position battles?
Here’s a projection of the Dolphins’ 53-man roster ahead of Tuesday’s cuts:
QB (2) — On: Tua Tagovailoa, Teddy Bridgewater; Off: Skylar Thompson
The hot topic is whether to keep Thompson, the rookie seventh-round pick, on as a third quarterback. After he threw three touchdowns in the second half of the final preseason game, I so badly want to add him to the 53, but I’m sticking with my original pick. Thompson has looked fine — splendid, at times — in camp and preseason, but it hasn’t come against starting-caliber NFL defenders, so let’s not get carried away. Everyone always becomes enamored with third-string quarterbacks this time of year. Reid Sinnett was plucked from the Dolphins last season, people were up in arms, and look how quickly Miami found the next third-stringer fans love. With Tagovailoa the starter and Bridgewater one of the league’s top backups with ample starting experience, the Dolphins will be fine this season with the two of them and hoping to keep Thompson on the practice squad. I don’t like the argument of keeping him in case Tagovailoa fails in Year 3, either. If that happens, the Dolphins are probably looking to make a move for a high-end veteran QB or to select one early in the upcoming draft.
RB/FB (4) — On: Chase Edmonds, Raheem Mostert, Alec Ingold (FB), Sony Michel; IR: John Lovett (FB); Off: Myles Gaskin, Salvon Ahmed, ZaQuandre White, Gerrid Doaks
Edmonds, Mostert and Michel were the running backs McDaniel specifically brought in via free agency for his offense. The Dolphins could save $2.5 million by cutting Gaskin.
