Dolphins sign 8 players to reserve/future contracts after 2023 season

Here’s who’s sticking around from the practice squad.

With the Miami Dolphins 2023 officially coming to a close on Saturday, the restrictions that force teams to keep their active rosters at 53 players are lifted, allowing teams to sign up to 90 players.

Once a team is eliminated from the playoffs, they can sign a number of players to reserve/futures contracts which adds them to the active roster through the spring and summer.

On Monday, the Dolphins signed these eight players from their practice squad to such deals:

Dolphins signed 7 players to reserve/future contracts

Here’s who’s sticking around from the practice squad.

With the Miami Dolphins 2022 season officially coming to a close on Sunday, the restrictions that force teams to keep their active rosters at 53 players are lifted, allowing teams to sign up to 90 players.

Once a team is eliminated they can sign a number of players to reserve/future contracts which adds them to the active roster through the spring and summer.

On Monday, the Dolphins signed these seven players from their practice squad to such deals:

Dolphins elevate OL and WR for matchup with Packers

This is the wide receiver’s final elevation.

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The Miami Dolphins have called up a few reinforcements for their Week 16 battle with the Green Bay Packers, as they’ve elevated offensive tackle Kendall Lamm and wide receiver Braylon Sanders.

This is Sanders’ third and final elevation of the season and the first for Lamm. If the Dolphins want the undrafted rookie wideout to appear in another game this year, they’ll have to sign him to the active roster.

Lamm’s elevation may spell bad news for veteran tackle Eric Fisher, who has been on the injury report with a calf injury and was listed as doubtful for action this weekend.

Sanders’ appearance is likely for River Cracraft, who’s been dealing with the same injury and missed last week’s contest as well.

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Dolphins elevate WR Braylon Sanders for Bills game

This is his second elevation for the season.

The Miami Dolphins are set to take on the Buffalo Bills on Saturday night at Highmark Stadium in a game that could result in Buffalo winning another AFC East title.

Ahead of the game, Miami elevated rookie wide receiver Braylon Sanders to the active roster. With River Cracraft doubtful due to a calf injury that he suffered during practice last week, the move makes sense.

This is Sanders’ second elevation on the season, meaning he has just one more, or he’ll have to be signed to the active roster.

Sanders’ first appearance in 2022 saw him play 14 offensive snaps against the Detroit Lions in Week 8, recording two receptions for 17 yards. Unfortunately, he also lost a fumble during the game.

Jaylen Waddle and Tyreek Hill have also dealt with injuries in recent weeks, so depending on how the game is going, Sanders may get more opportunities.

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Dolphins elevate S Verone McKinley, WR Braylon Sanders for Week 8

This is Sanders’ first elevation.

Prior their Sunday afternoon battle with the Detroit Lions, the Miami Dolphins made two moves to their roster.

The team announced on Saturday that they’ve elevated undrafted rookies Verone McKinley III and Braylon Sanders from the practice squad.

This is McKinley’s second elevation after being called up last week against the Pittsburgh Steelers. He’ll likely take on a larger role with Brandon Jones going on injured reserve with a torn ACL.

For Sanders, this is his first elevation. He had some bright moments during training camp and preseason, but Miami’s depth at the position kept him off of the active roster during final cuts.

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Dolphins waive UDFA WR Braylon Sanders

This was Miami’s last cut of the day.

The Miami Dolphins are finishing out their roster cuts, as they aim to get down the 53-player limit by Tuesday’s deadline.

On Tuesday, Miami announced that they’ve waived undrafted rookie wide receiver Braylon Sanders.

Sanders had some really impressive performances during training camp and the preseason that forced the Dolphins to really think about their depth at the position, and there’s a strong chance that he’s back on the practice squad if he passes through waivers.

Mike McDaniel’s team will enter the season with Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle, Cedrick Wilson Jr., Erik Ezukanma and Trent Sherfield as their five wideouts.

Be sure to keep up with all of Miami’s roster moves via the cutdown tracker.

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Three areas of intrigue for Dolphins vs. Buccaneers preseason opener

A few things that might pique Dolphins fans’ interest.

The Miami Dolphins kick off their preseason slate Saturday night in Tampa Bay against the Buccaneers. It will be Mike McDaniel’s inaugural in-game action as head coach, as he officially becomes the 11th (14th including interims) coach in franchise history.

While this is his 16th season as a coach in this league, McDaniel is a rookie as head coach and enters 2022 with a Dolphins team on a two-year winning record streak, despite missing the postseason both years. The Dolphins are looking for their first appearance in the playoffs since 2016 and seeking a victory in the tournament for the first time since the 2000 season.

In the 10 seasons Miami has played under a new coach, the franchise is 75-81 with four coaches leading the Dolphins to the playoffs in their first season – Don Shula in 1970, Dave Wannstedt in 2000, Tony Sparano in 2008 and Adam Gase in 2016.

McDaniel and the Dolphins will face a Buccaneers team just two seasons removed from a Super Bowl victory, and while they may be without Tom Brady because of personal reasons, this is still a strong litmus test for this Miami – a team that enters 2022 with their highest expectations in nearly two decades.

Here are a few things to be focused on during the contest.

UDFA WR Braylon Sanders impressing early in Dolphins’ camp

Could he push a veteran off the roster?

Following a day of off-field distractions, the Miami Dolphins hit the training camp field Wednesday with fans in attendance.

While Tuesday brought the NFL bombshell of a ruling, costing the Dolphins a pair of draft picks, social media was also atwitter with the Preston Williams drama.

The fourth-year undrafted free agent wide receiver tweeted his frustration earlier in the week with simply wanting opportunities and seemed to double-down on this notion when speaking with Miami media following practice.

Not only has Williams been limited and deep down the depth chart, but a 2022 undrafted free agent is also making early waves in camp and challenging veterans in the room. Braylon Sanders, out of Ole Miss, was signed by Miami following April’s draft, and so far, the receiver is impressing in camp. When speaking with the media, Sanders stated that it was soft tissue issues that hindered his playing time while in college.

Wide receiver coach, and former Dolphin Wes Welker, praised Sanders following Wednesday’s session.

“He has great body control, he has great hands,” said Welker. “He’s got speed. You know, he’s doing a lot of great things out there.”

That’s high praise considering the talent in the wide receiver room as well as the presence of another rookie receiver, Erik Ezukanma, who’s performing well thus far.

Both rookies have caught the attention and eye of quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. The third-year signal caller told reporters on Wednesday he considers both rookies “dark horses” for the Dolphins’ offense.

“I’ve been very impressed with them,” he said. “They have very good ball tracking skills. They’re long, and they’re fast… The hardest thing for them is just transitioning with hearing the play-calls in the huddle and where to be. But, other than that, they’re very impressive throughout OTAs and throughout the first couple of days of training camp.”

While these young targets are making waves, not to be forgotten is Lynn Bowden Jr. Originally drafted by the Las Vegas Raiders in the 2020 draft, he was acquired by Miami and showed some signs of potential in limited action. An injury last preseason cost Bowden the 2021 season, but even Welker is aware the multi-faceted player needs more reps.

When mentioned, Welker agreed with a reporter who stated Bowden wasn’t getting many touches. The coach was also aware of Williams’ situation and provided his thoughts on the matter to the media.

“It is a very tough deal, there are limited reps,” he said. “I understand his frustrations. Preston has shown he’s a good player in this league. He’s doing some good things out there and he will get [opportunities]. He’s had a few. He’s done well in 1-on-1 drills.”

Back to Sanders.

He had a chance to speak with the media and support his own cause. When asked about not being drafted, and if it caused disappointment Sanders said, “No, not at all. It just added to the chip that’s on my shoulder now.” He then added confidently, “I’ve just got to come out here and keep competing and making plays.”

Which NFL receiver does he watch tape of?

“I like watching Davante Adams.”

While a lofty comparison, a follow-up question was asked in terms of body type.

“I think we’re about the same height, same weight, but I just like his releases and how he maneuvers – manipulates a defender on a route – and he’s going to catch the ball when the rock is thrown to him,” he said.

Sanders was asked several questions ranging from his pro-ready college offense, choosing Miami when weighing his options following the draft, and of coach Welker.

It seems Welker was instrumental in helping secure Sanders as a free agent.

“I met Coach Wes at the combine so just talking with him then and he was the first person to hit me up after the draft, so I just felt like this was the place for me to be,” Sanders told reporters.

There’s a similarity between coach and player, as Sanders described about Welker.

“He was undrafted as well, so just looking at his background and all the things he’s been doing coaching-wise and his career, I just thought that was the perfect person for me to learn from,” he said.

Sanders has reeled in a number of impressive highlight-reel catches and could continue to cause an excellent problem to have in Miami’s wide receiver room. A room that was once limited in depth now seems to have the welcomed issue of excessive talent and where not all will make this roster.

The undrafted rookie is proving to make life a bit more difficult for guys like Williams and Bowden, and that’s something everyone should continue to track leading into preseason games.

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2022 Dolphins positional preview: Depth is a key difference at WR

More than one talented player could end up not making the roster.

The Miami Dolphins’ offseason is weeks away from coming to an end, as training camp is set to start at the end of July. From there, the team will be practicing on campus against each other and other teams before the start of the regular season.

This gives us some time to talk about the state of the roster before the first camp of the Mike McDaniel era begins. After discussing quarterbacks and running backs earlier in the week, today we’ll take a look at a wide receiver group that has certainly gotten a lot better since Miami last took the field.

Senior Bowl Day 1 practice notebook from Feb. 1

We’ve got feet on the ground in Mobile. Here’s @MaddyHudak_94’s practice notebook from Day 1 at the Senior Bowl:

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The 2022 Reese’s Senior Bowl kicked off with its first day of practices in Mobile, Ala. at Hancock Whitney Stadium, and a lot of eyes were trained under center at quarterback. The National Team led by the New York Jets staff took the field first this morning, followed by the American Team coached by the Detroit Lions in the afternoon. It’s my first year at the Senior Bowl, and a lot of today was spent simply soaking in the atmosphere and getting a handle on the tempo of practices.

Rosters were incredibly hard to come by with multiple standouts being late additions that weren’t listed; I largely relied on letting my eyes draw me to players. In a way, it was pleasantly absent of bias or preconceived notions that allowed me to seek out traits over coveted prospects and scheme fits. The American Team practice was blown up a bit by the class action lawsuit filed by Brian Flores suing the NFL over allegations of racial discrimination. It was something that felt infinitely more important than football and, admittedly, I paid less attention to the latter practice as a result.

That said, while sitting through the American Team practice, I chatted with Boston College tight end Trae Barry who was observing practice and teammates after returning from the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl in Pasadena, Calif. I planned to focus on the trenches in Day 1 of practice, and he alerted me to the prowess of teammate and National Team practice standout Zion Johnson, a guard at Boston College whose versatility lends him well at tackle as well. He also took snaps at center during Senior Bowl practice. His bend and power were palpable in the small window of reps I caught during offensive line drills. Among other insights, Barry brought up a good point in the distinction from the Collegiate Bowl to Senior Bowl practices: they’re allowed to blitz in Mobile.

Hard to think today’s practice and subsequent evaluation at quarterback would hold much merit without the instances of pressure and responses by the player under center. Two players stood out in their pocket movement and subsequent composure: Kenny Pickett and Malik Willis. Neither had a standout day; great and bad throws emphasized coachability and potential. Pickett benefitted from confusing play by Desmond Ridder and Carson Strong more than anything else.

Ridder had a good throw to wide receiver Alec Pierce, his teammate in Cincinnati, but that showcased chemistry. He otherwise missed what seemed to be wildly easy throws. Carson Strong hurt his evaluation every time he attempted this fruitless deep ball that never seemed to drop anywhere close to the receiver in stride. After about the fourth try, I frankly stopped paying attention.

With the quarterbacks, it’s going to be impossible to take too much stock in the first day of practice with entirely new teammates. That includes every player on the offensive line, timing of the snap from the center, not having a sense of the pocket under said line, and throwing to essentially strangers.

With Kenny Pickett, it was more of the off-field traits that stood out to me. He actively sought out his group of receivers pre and post-play, talked with the coaches to a degree that reminded me of Ian Book over training camp, had poise in the huddle – taking notable command at times – and showed good anticipation in throws to unfamiliar receivers like Shakir Khalil at Boise State.

Speaking of which, quarterbacks need players who are making catches to put stake in their name as the top prospect. The aforementioned Alec Pierce was someone I remembered from the Cincinnati-Tulane game last season as the Green Wave sideline reporter – in which he had 5 catches for 113 receiving yards and a touchdown. He had some good cuts that allowed him to make catches and get into space for yards after catch on a few plays. Pierce stood out outside of plays when he set receivers on the line. My favorite play by Pierce might’ve been a block that he impressively stuck through and kept the lane open for the running back in drills.

Receiver Christian Watson from North Dakota State was another playmaker that caught my eye during National practice. He was extremely fluid and smooth for his size and displayed good ability to keep his chest low until cuts during route drills. Watson along with the next receiver caught my eye as they continuously sought out coaching tips. That second receiver was the electric late-addition Braylon Sanders from Ole Miss, who had 4 catches for 74 yards and a touchdown in their win against Tulane in the 2021 season. He stuck out – often.

The consistent seeking of coaching strengthened by clear responsiveness by Sanders to the acquired tips. Like Watson, he kept his chest low until cuts and was “very locked in” per my chicken scratch notes that need a revamp for Day 2. On a high throw by Ridder, Sanders made a great catch while displaying good situational awareness of the inaccurate placement in stride. Sanders made multiple plays that highlighted his strength in catching with his hands versus his body. He played through every snap and trained my eyes on him for a while. By far the standout receiver from the first practice session.

In the American Team practice, my notes fell to current events and conversations with fellow media members, but I took note of a few players to watch closely tomorrow. Malik Willis showed coachability more than anything else. Receivers Velus Jones Jr. of Tennessee and Danny Gray of SMU had good moments. Jones Jr. showed quickness in beating coverage off the line and mental toughness in competing for catches but lacked fluidity coming out of his breaks; the second practice overall felt sluggish and was noted audibly by those in the bleachers. In contrast, the speed of Jalen Tolbert out of South Alabama stuck out for his 6-foot-3 stature and his ability to make high catches over defensive backs.

It’s hard to say anything definitive from a few respective hours of non-familiar teammates and situational drills. Saints fans are curious about quarterbacks, so I spent a majority of my attention on those players and accordingly, the receivers those fans are coveting. Tomorrow, we’ll take on the trenches and build on these first impressions. It was a really cool day to be a sports writer, and hopefully this notebook serves as a foundation for in-depth scouting nearing the draft.

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