3 Dolphins Practice Squad Players With Chance to Make Final Roster

The Miami Dolphins need enough depth not only to withstand a 17-game schedule but also to make a late-season playoff push if everything goes right.

With rosters nearly set ahead of training camp, this could be the year a former project breaks through the depth chart. Continuity at offensive and defensive coordinator could help former practice-squad players make a leap and push for roster spots in 2025.

Having Frank Smith back as offensive coordinator and Anthony Weaver returning for a second straight year on defense marks the first time the Dolphins have kept the same coordinators under Mike McDaniel. That stability should help practice-squad players reach the next level, and to return to the playoffs after last season’s struggles, Miami will need contributors it can rely on from September through January.

Here’s our list of three practice-squad players who could make the final 53-man roster this summer. 

Hayden Rucci, Tight End 

The Dolphins' tight end corps looks different following Jonnu Smith’s departure to the Pittsburgh Steelers. The front office hopes that newly acquired Darren Waller (6-6, 238 pounds) can take over some of the 111 targets that went Smith’s way last season. 

Still, Rucci could emerge as another potential depth option, considering his receiving skills earned him two stints on the practice squad last season.

Despite catching just 17 passes in four seasons at Wisconsin, the 6-5 tight end made an impact last preseason. He caught seven of eight targets, including five receptions for 44 yards and a touchdown in Week 3 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. 

Listed at 247 pounds, he’ll begin training camp behind Julian Hill (6-4, 251 pounds), who’s started 15 games in the last two seasons after joining the franchise as an undrafted free agent in 2023.

Tanner Conner (6-3, 232 pounds), who appeared in 24 games in the last three seasons, eighth-year vet Pharaoh Brown (6-5, 246 pounds), and undrafted rookie Jalin Conyers (6-4, 265 pounds) will all compete for roster spots.

Looking back, Miami began 2024 with four tight ends on the roster. Conner and Hill are still with the team, but with Smith in Pittsburgh and Durham Smythe in Chicago, there’s a clear opportunity for someone to step up and steal the spotlight.

After a year on the practice squad, Rucci’s growth as a blocking tight end could go a long way in showing he’s ready for a roster spot in Year 2.

Isaiah Johnson, Cornerback

GM Chris Grier announced that the franchise was planning to part ways with Jalen Ramsey in April, but that decision didn’t seem to impact the team’s draft strategy or free agent plans earlier this offseason. 

Miami doesn’t just need to find a reliable starting cornerback by Week 1, it needs to build a room it can trust through January. With little proven depth on the roster, the door is open for a player like second-year cornerback Isaiah Johnson to carve out a spot on the depth chart.

The Dolphins are still searching for a starter opposite fourth-year cornerback Kader Kohou. Cam Smith and Storm Duck are candidates to emerge entering Year 2 in Weaver’s system. Veterans Artie Burns and Kendall Sheffield bring 13 combined years of NFL experience, but just one start between them in the past three seasons.

At 6-3 and 205 pounds, Johnson enters Year 2 tied with undrafted rookie B.J. Adams as the tallest cornerback on Miami’s roster. He had eight tackles while playing 95 snaps last preseason. 

Opposing quarterbacks completed just one of seven passes for two yards, according to Pro Football Focus. That said, most of those snaps came against second and third-string competition.

Duck was ultimately chosen over Johnson as Miami’s undrafted addition at cornerback last year, but Johnson also showed enough promise to stick around on the practice squad. The former Syracuse team captain was dinged in the pre-draft process for lacking top-end speed, but he has the size and physical traits teams desire at the position. 

Ryan Hayes, Tackle

This could be a make-or-break year for Hayes, a 2023 seventh-round selection by the Dolphins.

While there’s typically a handful of reasons a player lasts until the seventh round, there’s also been a steady effort to keep Hayes in South Florida. He was waived before the start of his rookie season, but was claimed off waivers and spent roughly three weeks with the Indianapolis Colts. 

The former Michigan left tackle re-signed with Miami days later and spent the rest of 2023 on the practice squad. The team waived him for a second time before the start of last season, but he re-joined the practice squad in November. 

Last year, the Dolphins began the season with four tackles (Terron Armstead, Austin Jackson, Patrick Paul, and Kendall Lamm) on the 53-man roster. Paul and Jackson are penciled in as the starting tackles, but Miami could desperately use some promising depth pieces following Terron Armstead’s retirement and Kendall Lamm’s decision to join the Philadelphia Eagles on a one-year deal. 

Hayes played 118 preseason snaps at right tackle last year after 40 at left tackle in his rookie season. He allowed three hurries across 167 total snaps. However, he was also penalized three times on just 123 preseason snaps in 2024.

If Hayes can limit mistakes and prove to be a dependable option throughout camp, he’ll have a chance to push Kion Smith and Larry Borom for a roster spot behind Paul and Jackson.

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