Dolphins Player Percentages of Making 53-Man Roster
The Miami Dolphins have 89 players on their active roster as they head into their preseason finale against the Jacksonville Jaguars, but that number will be down to 53 by 4 p.m. ET on Tuesday.
That means the team — like every other around the NFL — will have to clear out 36 players either by waiving them, terminating their contract (in the case of vested veterans), trading them or putting them on a reserve list (IR or PUP).
While we always can expect some surprises on cut-down day, we also should have a pretty good idea based on training camp practices, expected roles and past performances how a lot of the roster will look.
We break it down — accompanied by assorted comments — before the preseason finale into six categories of players based on the likelihood they will be on that initial 53-man roster: About 100 percent on the roster, 75-100 on the roster, 50-75, 50-50, 25-50 and 0-50.
PLAYERS ABOUT 100 PERCENT ON THE INITIAL 53-MAN DOLPHINS ROSTER
There's really no need for explanation here, but only an unexpected and sudden development would change this:
28 players:
QB Tua Tagovailoa
RB De'Von Achane
FB Alec Ingold
WR Braxton Berrios
WR Tyreek Hill
WR Jaylen Waddle
TE Durham Smythe
C Connor Williams
G Robert Hunt
T Terron Armstead
T Austin Jackson
DE Emmanuel Ogbah — Based on his projected role as a backup, Ogbah's place on the roster wouldn't be secure if not for the fact his $15 million salary is guaranteed.
DT Zach Sieler
DT Christian Wilkins
DT Raekwon Davis
LB Bradley Chubb
LB Jaelan Phillips
LB Duke Riley
LB David Long Jr.
LB Jerome Baker
CB Kader Kohou
CB Xavien Howard
S Jevon Holland
S DeShon Elliott
CB Cam Smith
K Jason Sanders
P Jake Bailey
LS Blake Ferguson
PLAYERS 75-100 PERCENT ON THE INITIAL 53-MAN DOLPHINS ROSTER
15 players:
QB Mike White
QB Skylar Thompson
RB Jeff Wilson Jr. — The only way he's off the roster is if he gets included in a trade for Jonathan Taylor, which very well might never materialize.
RB Raheem Mostert — See Wilson above.
WR Cedrick Wilson Jr. — His place on the roster is pretty much secure unless the Dolphins find a trade partner or are willing to eat his $5 million guaranteed salary.
WR Erik Ezukanma
T Kendall Lamm
C/G Dan Feeney — Feeney's spot on the roster might be less secure if not for the fact the Dolphins gave him $3.2 million guaranteed on his one-year contract.
G Liam Eichenberg — Even if Eichenberg ends up losing the starting left guard job, it's difficult to envision the Dolphins walking away from their former second-round pick after just two seasons.
G/T Isaiah Wynn — Such is the state of the Dolphins offensive line that Wynn might be the front-runner for the left guard job but also probably shouldn't be considered a lock.
LB Andrew Van Ginkel
CB Jalen Ramsey — Ramsey obviously is going to be with the Dolphins in 2023, but he's not in the 100 percent list in the event the team's medical reports on him aren't encouraging and team decides to shut him down by putting him on IR.
S Elijah Campbell
S Verone McKinley III
CB Eli Apple
PLAYERS 50-75 PERCENT ON THE INITIAL 53-MAN DOLPHINS ROSTER
7 players:
RB Salvon Ahmed
WR Robbie Chosen — One possibility with Chosen is that the Dolphins will terminate his contract with an agreement he'll be brought back in order to save a roster spot for a player who needs to go on IR after the cuts to 53, someone like Ramsey.
TE Tyler Kroft — The injury to Saubert combined with Kroft's experience really has paved the way for him.
LB Channing Tindall
LB Malik Reed
CB Noah Igbinoghene — This might be too low given the fact that Igbinoghene overall had a pretty good training camp, though his play has slipped a bit of late.
S Brandon Jones — This is a complicated one because Jones was productive in the previous scheme, but he hasn't had a chance to prove himself in the new one because of injury issues.
PLAYERS 50-50 PERCENT ON THE INITIAL 53-MAN DOLPHINS ROSTER
7 players:
TE Eric Saubert — His injury has clouded his picture and it could be that he ends up on IR or waived/injured.
TE Elijah Higgins
TE Julian Hill — It could be that the final roster spot at tight end will come down to one of the two rookies, Hill or Higgins.
G Lester Cotton — It wasn't that long ago that Cotton looked like a contender for the starting left guard job, but an injury set him back and now his spot may depend on whether the Dolphins keep eight or nine O-linemen.
DT Da'Shawn Hand — He appeared to have a roster spot pretty well secured until his recent injury, which unfortunately continued a pattern for him.
DT Brandon Pili
CB Keion Crossen — Crossen's fate could come down to whether the Dolphins decide it's better to save $3 million in cap space than keep him on the roster.
PLAYERS 25-50 PERCENT ON THE INITIAL 53-MAN DOLPHINS ROSTER
17 players:
RB Myles Gaskin
RB Chris Brooks
WR River Cracraft
TE Tanner Conner
G Robert Jones — Jones would have been closer to the 50-75 percent range if not for the knee injury he sustained against Houston last weekend.
T Cedric Ogbuehi
OL Ryan Hayes
DT Josiah Bronson
DT Jaylen Twyman
LB Mitchell Agude
LB Aubrey Miller Jr.
LB Cameron Goode
LB A.J. Johnson — The new linebacker wouldn't have much of a choice of sticking under normal circumstances, but his familiarity with Vic Fangio (together in Denver from 2019-21) is a big plus.
DB Trill Williams — There's definitely potential here, but the reality is that Williams simply hasn't been able to show much this summer and the Dolphins have a lot of options in the secondary.
DB Keidron Smith — This is a good-looking rookie free agent who at least gave himself a chance with an impressive summer.
DB Jamal Perry — His shot at making the roster could come down to his special teams acumen.
DB Parry Nickerson — The team's lack of depth at slot cornerback in light of Nik Needham being likely to start the season on Reserve/PUP gives him at least a shot.
PLAYERS 0-25 PERCENT ON THE INITIAL 53-MAN DOLPHINS ROSTER
15 players:
QB James Blackman
WR Chris Coleman
WR Daewood Davis
WR Braylon Sanders
WR Keke Coutee
C Alama Uluave
T Kion Smith
T Geron Christian
T James Tunstall
DE Randy Charlton
DT Jamal Woods
LB Garrett Nelson
CB Justin Bethel
CB Ethan Bonner
CB Bryce Thompson
