Dolphins Workout UFL’s Top QB/WR Duo

Originally posted on Dolphins Talk | By Julian Dieni | Last updated Aug 2, 2026 11:09 AM ET

Dolphins Workout UFL’s Top QB/WR Duo

The Miami Dolphins have summoned the UFL’s Dallas Renegades top duo to workouts. Quarterback Austin Reed and receiver Tyler Vaughns worked out with the team last week. This comes after the team had already brought in UFL MVP quarterback Jack Plummer.

Austin Reed, a former Western Kentucky Hilltopper, burst onto the scene in the UFL after a record-breaking debut. Reed is notably a gunslinger, coming from air-raid-archetype offenses throughout his collegiate career. He started all 10 regular season games for the Dallas Renegades, passing for just over 1900 yards and notching 21 touchdowns through the air.

He holds the record for most passing touchdowns in the UFL’s short history, but also led the league in interceptions thrown with 9. As one of the more experienced players to come out of the 2024 draft class, Reed had signed with the Bears and played for them in that preseason. He then spent the 2025 NFL season out of football before playing with the Dallas Renegades this past spring.

Reed is an experienced backup quarterback, a position this regime seems interested in. Quinn Ewers, Cam Miller, and Mark Gronowski are all super-experienced college quarterbacks.

Reed’s teammate in Dallas, Tyler Vaughns, also caught a tryout with the Miami Dolphins. Vaughns is a 29-year-old receiver with good size for the position. He played his college football at USC, where he logged over 900 yards as a redshirt junior.

Vaughns hasn’t had a lengthy pro career and has never played in an NFL regular-season game, but has been a consistently valuable target in both the XFL and UFL since 2023. In 4 seasons of spring football, with 36 starts, Vaughn has logged 1,807 receiving yards and 15 touchdowns.

The Miami Dolphins worked out the following players:

RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire
QB Jack Plummer
QB Austin Reed
WR Elijah Badger
WR Elijah Cooks
WR Jakobie Keeney-James
WR Tyler Vaughns
T Ben Te Kura (rugby)

— David Furones (@DavidFurones_) July 28, 2026

In such a youthful Miami Dolphins receiving corps, bringing in someone like Vaughns isn’t a surprise. He has special teams experience and stands at 6’2”, with a playstyle similar to rookie receiver Caleb Douglas.

Bringing in two professional-level teammates to work out with the team is a solid idea. Miami is looking for bodies to compete in the preseason while also giving players a chance to show their worth. Teams are always benefiting from players who are hungry for opportunity.

Is there any reason for the team to sign Reed and Vaughns? The Dolphins don’t seem to be in any urgency to sign these types of players. They have worked out 6 UFL players since July 23rd, and have yet to officially sign one. Jon Eric Sullivan is clearly interested in broadening the quarterback room, and may also be looking to add some fresh faces to the receiver corps due to the reported drops early on in training camp.

There is no way of telling if a UFL player would be the solution to that, but it doesn’t hurt to try and solve it through under-the-radar players such as Vaughns.

As of now, Austin Reed and Tyler Vaughns are not on any NFL roster.

This article first appeared on Dolphins Talk and was syndicated with permission.

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