Miami Dolphins cut DB Xavier Crawford, promote Montre Hartage

The Miami Dolphins have cut DB Xavier Crawford and promoted S Montre Hartage off the practice squad.

The Miami Dolphins’ secondary is a pretty depleted group of talent, especially when you compare it to the group the team was capable of fielding at the beginning of the season. The Dolphins have seen every starting player from the beginning of the year fall off the active roster for one reason or another — and while it may be a difficult challenge to pose for the team, the silver lining is that in Miami’s year of evaluation, the team can get young players out on the field and see who has what it takes to really “cut the mustard”.

And the team has had some success. Undrafted free agent Nik Needham is a promising talent based on his play thus far this season and the development he’s shown along the way.

But then there are others, such as Xavier Crawford — who came into Miami’s program midseason and failed to make any kind of positive impact whatsoever. And in this secondary, when you can’t make an impact, it’s pretty telling. Odds are you’re not going to stick around too long.

That’s now the case with Crawford, who was released yesterday from the Dolphins’ roster, according to a league source via the Miami Herald’s Barry Jackson.

In his place, Miami will promote defensive back Montre Hartage from the team’s practice squad. Hartage had promising play during training camp during his transition from playing cornerback at Northwestern to a new role as a safety for the Dolphins — and has spent the year on the Dolphins’ practice squad developing his skills.

Miami will now call upon Hartage to find out just how much he’s learned in his few months lingering around the Dolphins’ team facilities. It’s a great opportunity for Hartage to make a splash and help sell the Dolphins that when the 2020 roster purge comes along, Hartage should come out the other side still a member of the Dolphins.

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