The Dolphins trimmed their roster to 53 players ahead of the league’s 4 p.m. Tuesday deadline and opted to keep an accomplished player who was speculated to be a trade option.
The Dolphins explored trading wide receiver/return specialist Jakeem Grant but ultimately kept him on a restructured contract, according to a source. Grant took a cut from $3.6 million to a deal that could be worth as much as $3 million. The final two years of his deal were eliminated.
While the team kept Grant, it waived second-year receiver Kirk Merritt, who caught two touchdown passes in the preseason and impressed throughout training camp as many of the Dolphins’ top receivers were sidelined because of injury. If Merritt is unclaimed off waivers Wednesday, he’s a strong candidate to return to the team’s 16-man practice squad.
The Dolphins kept six wide receivers on the initial 53-man roster: Grant, DeVante Parker, Albert Wilson, Jaylen Waddle, Preston Williams and Mack Hollins. Free agent addition Will Fuller is on the reserve/suspension list as of 4 p.m. Tuesday to finish out the last game of a six-game suspension and doesn’t count toward the current 53-man roster. Fuller will revert to the active roster after the team’s season opener against the New England Patriots on Sept. 12.
The Dolphins also cut a pair of high-profile veteran additions from the offseason, releasing inside linebacker Benandrick McKinney and center Matt Skura.
The team acquired McKinney in an offseason trade with the Houston Texans for defensive end Shaq Lawson and a swap of late-round draft picks. McKinney, who was a Pro Bowler in 2018 and has started 77 games, was expected to be a starter next to inside linebacker Jerome Baker. However, McKinney took a $4 million pay cut and the team eliminated the final two years off his contract in March. The return of Elandon Roberts from the season-ending knee injury he sustained in Week 16 last season also made McKinney expendable.
Skura, who started 51 games through four seasons with the Baltimore Ravens, signed a one-year deal worth $1.75 million in March but only $400,000 was guaranteed, according to Spotrac. Skura never pushed Michael Deiter for the starting job at center, and the Dolphins’ trade for Ravens offensive lineman Greg Mancz made his spot more untenable.
The Dolphins went light at running back, waiving third-year player Patrick Laird and seventh-round draft pick Gerrid Doaks, meaning they are set to enter Week 1 with three backs: Myles Gaskin, Malcolm Brown and Salvon Ahmed.
The team also released offensive lineman Cameron Tom, which clears the way for Mancz to the team’s backup center behind Deiter.
The Dolphins opted to keep five of the six tight ends they carried throughout training camp, only waiving Chris Myarick, who caught the game-winning touchdown against the Cincinnati Bengals last Sunday. Third-stringer Reid Sinnett, who threw the game-winning pass, was also waived.
A pair of undrafted rookies made the Dolphins’ initial roster: defensive back Trill Williams and offensive lineman Robert Jones. Williams was one of 12 defensive backs who made the initial 53-man roster.
The Dolphins are set to undergo another wave of transactions in the coming days and in the leadup to its season opener. Players now placed on the injured reserve list can return after three games, as opposed to missing the entire season. Teams can place waiver claims on players beginning noon Wednesday. And teams can then start signing players to the practice squad after waiver claims have been processed.
Dolphins 53-man roster
Quarterback (2): Tua Tagovailoa, Jacoby Brissett
Running back (3): Myles Gaskin, Malcolm Brown, Salvon Ahmed
Wide receiver (6)*: DeVante Parker, Albert Wilson, Jaylen Waddle Preston Williams, Jakeem Grant, Mack Hollins
Tight end (5): Mike Gesicki, Adam Shaheen, Hunter Long, Durham Smythe, Cethan Carter
Offensive line (9): Austin Jackson, Solomon Kindley, Michael Deiter, Robert Hunt, Jesse Davis, Liam Eichenberg, Greg Little, Greg Mancz, Robert Jones
Defensive line (6): Emmanuel Ogbah, Christian Wilkins, Raekwon Davis, Zach Sieler, Adam Butler, John Jenkins
Linebacker (7): Andrew Van Ginkel, Jaelan Philips, Jerome Baker, Elandon Roberts, Brennan Scarlett, Sam Eguavoen, Duke Riley
Defensive back (12): Xavien Howard, Byron Jones, Jason McCourty, Eric Rowe, Jevon Holland, Nik Needham, Brandon Jones, Justin Coleman, Noah Igbinoghene, Jamal Perry, Trill Williams, Clayton Fejedelem
Specialists (3): Jason Sanders (kicker), Michael Palardy (punter), Blake Ferguson (long snapper)
*Fuller does not currently count toward the 53-man roster. As of 4 p.m. Tuesday, he is on the NFL’s reserve/suspension list to finish the final game of a six-game suspension.