The Most Shocking of the Dolphins’ 26 Transactions Monday

The Most Shocking of the Dolphins’ 26 Transactions Monday

By far the most moves post-cutdown day have been made by the Miami Dolphins. 10 practice squad players signed, 7 waiver claims, 1 signing, and a corresponding 8 releases. Let’s go over which are the most shocking moves of Monday.

The lack of edge rushers on the team was always a concern, but the subsequent release of former Raiders 1st-round pick Clelin Ferrell and newly drafted rookie Max Llewellyn was a shock. The team is too thin to leave it unattended, so they decided to sign journeyman edge rusher Malik Herring.

So far, no big moves have been made on the defensive line. There is some expectation that it’ll change, as waiver claims can be messy because a team must pick up the remaining contract the player is on. For highly drafted rookies, the Dolphins front office may have deemed them too expensive and will reassess at a later date.

In a positively shocking light, the Dolphins were able to claim rookie tight end Justin Joly off waivers from the Denver Broncos. The NC State product recorded 11 touchdowns in his last 2 college seasons and was taken in the 5th round of this past draft.

After a reportedly slow start to training camp, he was part of the final cuts for Denver, even though he recorded an 88-yard touchdown in the final preseason game against the Vikings. Miami had taken a hard look at Joly, having him in for 2 predraft visits. The selection of Seydou Traore at pick 180 made sense, but it seems the Dolphins may have preferred Joly, who went at 152. Regardless, this tight end room is now stacked with young talent, 3 of them being rookies.

It was expected that Miami would make a move at the quarterback position after cutdown day, but the waiver claim of former Jets quarterback Brady Cook is not what many expected. He struggled heavily as an undrafted rookie tossed into action on a bad team, which is expected, but Miami needs more of a veteran presence.

The quarterback with the most playtime on the roster is now Brady Cook, which isn’t a good thing. It is possible they choose to continue shuffling the back end of the quarterback room, as they signed Mark Gronowski to the practice squad after he cleared the waiver wire.

The most moves of the day were made at the cornerback or safety positions. The team released special-team aces Ethan Bonner and AJ Green, bringing in Reese Taylor, Marcellas Dial and Julius Wood. The most notable signing is Dial, as he was once deemed an intriguing prospect.

He was drafted by New England in the 6th round of the 2024 draft. Also notably, a teammate of former Dolphins draft pick Cam Smith at the collegiate level. They were once a lockdown duo for the South Carolina Gamecocks.

The biggest takeaway from today’s roster turnover is that Miami is looking for cheap, young talent. This is no different from their approach during the free agency period, but they really did not seek out bona fide starters. The offense is mostly set, but the defense lacks high-end talent and depth.