Breaking Down the Dolphins Practice Squad Moves

Former Miami Dolphins third-round pick Cordrea Tankersley has returned to the team

So Cordrea Tankersley's time in Miami isn't done after all.

The Miami Dolphins 2017 third-round pick is back on the team's practice squad, as part of a series with that group.

Tankersley filled one of the two openings, and the other was given to former University of Miami offensive lineman Tyler Gauthier.

They replaced cornerback Ken Webster, who was signed off the practice squad by the San Francisco 49ers, and linebacker Kylan Johnson, who went on the practice squad injured list.

Also dealing with the practice, it's interesting to cornerback Tae Hayes and tight end Chris Myarick both have been protected from being poached each of the first two weeks. It's sort of an indication that those two are essentially the 54th and 55th players on the roster.

The other two protected practice squad players this week are quarterback Reid Sinnett and long-snapper Matt Orzech.

But the big story here is Tankersley, who was waived in early August the same day he was removed from the COVID-19 list.

At the time, it seemed to mark the end of a disappointing Dolphins career for Tankersley and continued a slide that began after he started 11 games as a rookie out of Clemson.

Tankersley showed promise as a rookie and was expected to land the starting cornerback job opposite Xavien Howard heading into the 2018 season, but didn't do enough to earn the coaches' confidence and they instead moved Bobby McCain from his usual spot in the slot to line up on the boundary.

Worse for Tankersley, he wound up tearing an ACL when he landed awkwardly during a practice and ended up on IR. He started last season on PUP as he continued his comeback, but never was activated once he became eligible to return.

Then came this summer.

Tankersley has some things to offer at cornerback, including good size and physicality, but regaining his confidence will be a key if he's to find his way back onto the active roster.