The Miami Dolphins’ roster moves have been fast and furious since the team returned to training camp. The Dolphins, like many other NFL teams, have been forced to put the new reserve/COVID-19 list to good use as teams look to find consistency with the health of their players amid the ongoing pandemic — and yesterday was no exception. Just days after being placed on the list, veteran linebacker Jerome Baker has been removed from the list, which means he will be permitted to be back in the team facility and partake in the ongoing strength & conditioning programs the Dolphins are currently undertaking.
But the move did come with a counter, as the Dolphins announced that the team also placed rookie RB Malcolm Perry on the list.
We have been awarded CB Picasso Nelson Jr. off waivers from Indianapolis. We have also activated LB Jerome Baker off the reserve/COVID-19* list and placed RB Malcolm Perry on the list.
— Miami Dolphins (@MiamiDolphins) August 3, 2020
But Miami’s roster moves yesterday weren’t just limited to transactions on and off the reserve list, Miami was active once again on the waiver wire — claiming cornerback Picasso Nelson Jr. off the wire from the Indianapolis Colts. Nelson is a second generation NFL player, his father played two seasons as a linebacker in the 1990s for the Houston Oilers and New York Giants. Nelson Jr. is an alumni of Southern Mississippi who logged 202 total tackles and 5 interceptions over the course of his five years with the school.
Nelson Jr. is likely a long-shot to make the roster given the depth that Miami can claim in their cornerback room, but the Dolphins must have seen something they liked at some point in the evaluation process to feel as though this was a lottery ticket worth investigating. Nelson spent the entire 2019 season as a member of the Indianapolis Colts practice squad before being claimed by Miami yesterday.