Miami Dolphins Terminate Contract of 26-Year-Old Defender

The Miami Dolphins moved quickly on Monday to clear a roster spot, waiving 26-year-old linebacker Liam Anderson two days after promoting him from the practice squad, the team announced.

The transaction followed the team’s decision to sign Andre Jones Jr. off the Buffalo Bills’ practice squad, a corresponding move that reflects how tightly Miami is managing depth early in a 0-2 season.

Anderson’s stay on the 53-man roster was brief but eventful. After Ronnie Harrison Jr. landed on injured reserve with a hamstring injury, Miami signed the 26-year-old off its practice squad on September 19 and elevated him for the Week 2 trip to San Francisco.

In the 35-13 loss he recorded one solo tackle, his first defensive statistic of the 2026 season and only the latest contribution in a career built almost entirely on special teams.

He had been added to Miami’s practice squad on September 1 after Cincinnati released him in final cuts.

That pattern of short stays and practice-squad shuttling has defined Anderson’s four NFL seasons. The 6-foot-3, 230-pounder from Flanders, New Jersey, signed with Indianapolis as an undrafted free agent out of Holy Cross in 2023 on a three-year, $2.6 million deal.

The Colts waived him at the end of camp, then brought him back to the practice squad. He appeared in one game that year and three more in 2024, totaling 48 special-teams snaps and no defensive snaps.

Indianapolis signed him to a futures contract after the 2024 season, activated him briefly in November, then waived him again. A hamstring injury in the 2025 preseason led to an injury settlement and his release.

Cincinnati signed him to its practice squad in late October 2025 and later to a futures deal, only to cut him on August 30, 2026.

College production is what first got Anderson noticed. Over five seasons at Holy Cross he played 53 games with 30 starts, finishing with 231 tackles, 37.5 tackles for loss, 14.5 sacks, six interceptions and two forced fumbles.

He captained the Crusaders as a fifth-year senior, earned All-Patriot League honors twice and received third-team All-America recognition from Stats Perform.

Those numbers made him an attractive undrafted prospect, yet the transition to the NFL has so far been a series of short-term opportunities rather than a lasting role.

Whether Anderson returns to Miami’s practice squad after clearing waivers remains an open question. The Dolphins have used the unit as a revolving door for special-teams contributors this month, and his familiarity with the scheme could still have value.

For now the waiver simply underscores how quickly a player can move from the active roster back to the waiver wire when a more versatile or scheme-specific piece becomes available.

Anderson’s next stop, like the ones before it, will likely depend on which team needs a reliable special-teamer who can fill in at linebacker on short notice.