The big news involving the Miami Dolphins on Tuesday was the report indicating they would be releasing veteran cornerback Byron Jones in eight days, but they also made some official moves.
And, like the Jones news, neither should have been unexpected.
The team announced late Tuesday afternoon it had released veteran tight end Cethan Carter and tendered exclusive-right free agent defensive back Elijah Campbell.
Campbell was the one pending ERFA on the team and extended a tender means he can't negotiate with any other team in 2023, basically ensuring he'll be on the roster if the Dolphins want to keep him.
And Campbell showed enough promise in his first two seasons with the team — on special teams and in the secondary — to think he might have a role in 2023 and beyond.
CUTTING CETHAN CARTER SAVES CAP SPACE
As for Carter, the move will save $2.3 million of cap space.
Carter was set to enter the final year of the three-year contract he signed in 2021 after he missed pretty much all of 2022 after sustaining a concussion early in the season opener against the New England Patriots.
After Carter was inactive for the next three games, the Dolphins placed him on injured reserve Oct. 8 and that's where he spent the rest of the season.
"That was something that doctors and Cethan really decided that it was best served for his health to do so," head coach Mike McDaniel said toward the end of the 2022 season. "So that was something that it was much less of me deciding anything rather than him and medical professionals choosing that being the best path for him."
Carter played 16 games for the Dolphins in 2021, but most of his playing time came on special teams.
With Carter gone, the Dolphins are down to three tight ends under contract for 2023: Durham Smythe, Hunter Long and Tanner Conner.
Mike Gesicki and Adam Shaheen both are scheduled to become unrestricted free agents next week.
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