Dolphins release Chase Winovich injured, sign new linebacker

Dolphins signed former Prairie View A&M standout Quinton Bell, a linebacker who spent his first three collegiate seasons as a receiver

The Miami Dolphins' most troublesome position took a hit this week when the team released linebacker Chase Winovich with an injury settlement.

Winovich, who was on Miami's practice squad, had been elevated up to the game day roster three times this season, mainly working on special teams, and his ability to play outside linebacker helped ease the absence of Jaelan Phillps, who has missed three games because of a back and torso injury.

The nature of Winovich's injury is unknown, but his settlement will likely account for how many games he would have missed because of the injury. It's possible that he could re-sign to Miami's practice squad when healthy, but the fact he's no longer eligible for practice squad promotions could be a factor in that decision.

The Dolphins signed former Prairie View A&M standout Quinton Bell to take Winovich's place on the team's 16-player developmental squad.

Bell was a 2019 seventh-round pick of the Oakland Raiders, and has had practice squad stints with the Raiders, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2020), and Atlanta Falcons (2021-22). He spent training camp with this week's opponent, the Philadelphia Eagles, but didn't make it onto anyone's 53-man roster, or practice squad until now.

Interestingly, Bell played receiver for three seasons at Prairie View A&M before moving to defense as a senior to give himself a shot at the NFL.

In 2018, he started 9 of 10 games playing at defensive end, leading PVAMU with 7.5 (46 total tackles, 10 for loss) and garnering second-team All-SWAC honors. 

During his NFL career Bell played in eight games, working mostly on special teams, and has contributed three tackles. If he plays for the Dolphins he'll likely be used on kickoff and punt coverage units.

The Dolphins likely have a void to fill there because rookie tailback Chris Brooks, who worked on Miami's coverage unit, sprained an ankle in Miami's 42-21 win over the Carolina Panthers on Sunday. It's likely that Brooks will miss a couple of games because of the injury.