Dolphins Pick Up Veteran Linebacker

The Miami Dolphins made a couple of roster moves on their first day off in training camp but the signing of Tua Tagovailoa to his extension wasn't among them

Linebacker Curtis Bolton (36) before playing against the Indianapolis Colts at Allegiant Stadium last season. / Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

The Miami Dolphins followed up their biggest personnel move of the summer with a couple of other roster transactions Saturday, their first day off this training camp.

The Dolphins announced they signed third-year veteran linebacker Curtis Bolton and waived rookie quarterback Gavin Hardison.

The official announcement of Tua Tagovailoa's contract extension, which was reported Friday, is still pending and likely to come Sunday when the team returns to practice.

THE NEW DOLPHINS LINEBACKER

Bolton joins the Dolphins after spending most of the past two seasons with the Las Vegas Raiders, for whom he played 23 games after playing five games for the Detroit Lions in 2022.

Bolton, who also spent time with the Indianapolis Colts, San Francisco 49ers and Houston Texans after entering the NFL with the Green Bay Packers in 2019 as an undrafted free agent, has played almost exclusively on special teams.

Of his 507 career snaps over 28 games, 491 have come on special teams. With the Raiders in 2023, Bolton played 253 special teams snaps compared to 15 on defense.

Bolton, who's 6 feet, 228 pounds, will have a tough time simply making the 53-man roster.

NO FOURTH QB NEEDED

The move with Hardison wasn't a surprise in the least because teams don't need four quarterbacks in training camp and now that Tua has signed his contract extension he'll be full go at practice.

From the start, Hardison was somebody who needed to make a very big and very quick impression to stick around very long given the rarity of his practice reps.

Hardison signed with the Dolphins out of UTEP coming off Tommy John surgery. In the practices open to the media in the spring, Hardison showed a big arm but a tendency to spray the ball a bit.

With Hardison gone, the Dolphins now have three quarterbacks on the 90-man roster (technically 91 players because Dominican rookie Bayron Matos is exempt) with Tagovailoa, Mike White and Skylar Thompson.