Dolphins Making a Move in the Secondary

The Miami Dolphins have decided to part ways with a veteran offseason acquisition

Bills WR Khalil Shakir drags Miami's Kendall Fuller a few yards after making the catch during second half action at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park on Nov. 3, 2024. Joining Fuller on the tackle is Marcus Maye. / Tina MacIntyre-Yee/Democrat and Chronicle / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Miami Dolphins continue to make moves ahead of their Thanksgiving night showdown against the Green Bay Packers.

The team has decided to waive veteran safety Marcus Maye, and replaced him on the roster by activating rookie Patrick McMorris off injured reserve.

Maye, who was signed in the offseason, played in each of the Dolphins' first 11 games and made three starts, filling in for Jordan Poyer once and for Jevon Holland twice.

But after playing every defensive snap in the Week 8 loss against the Buffalo Bills, Maye didn't play another snap on defense the next three games.

While he was in a tough spot, Maye whiffed on two significant open-field tackles in his last two defensive appearances, on a key third-down run by Kyler Murray in the Week 7 loss against the Arizona Cardinals and on the long touchdown reception by Bills running back Ray Davis the following week.

McMORRIS TIME FOR DOLPHINS

The Maye move comes shouldn't be considering surprising because the Dolphins had to make a roster decision on McMorris, whose three-week practice window ended last week.

Head coach Mike McDaniel praised the sixth-round pick from California after he returned to practice and the implication was clear that the Dolphins eventually would activate him to the 53-man roster instead of keeping him on IR for the rest of the season.

That the Dolphins used up one of their eight IR return designations always was a sign they wanted McMorris at the 53 at some point, and making it a safety-for-safety switch by creating room with the release of Maye certainly makes sense.