Rookie Draft Pick on the Way Back

Safety Patrick McMorris has been on injured reserve since late August.

Miami Dolphins safety Patrick McMorris (32) celebrates with teammates after recovering a fumble against the Washington Commanders during the fourth quarter of a preseason game at Hard Rock Stadium. / Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

The Miami Dolphins could soon have another member of their 2024 draft class in their lineup.

Safety Patrick McMorris was designated to return from injured reserve (IR) Thursday when he returned to practice for the first time since August. That will open his three-week window, after which the Dolphins will have to activate him or keep him on IR for the rest of the season.

McMorris, a sixth-round pick out of the University of California, looked solid in training camp and the preseason. His highlight came when he recovered a fumble against the Washington Commanders.

When McMorris is activated, seventh-round pick Tahj Washington will become the only member of the seven-player class not on the active roster. Washington was placed on IR in August before the cuts to 53, becoming ineligible to return this season.

McMorris becomes the fourth Dolphins player designated to return from IR, putting the team halfway to the regular season maximum of eight. WR River Cracraft and CB Cam Smith were designated when they were placed on IR on August 27th, the day of the cuts to 53, and then QB Tua Tagovailoa was designated to return after he sat out four games because of his concussion.

The Dolphins have placed four other players on IR since the start of the regular season, though Jaelan Phillips (ACL) and Braxton Berrios (ACL) are both done for the season. WR Grant DuBose was placed on IR on September 21st with a shoulder injury and has been eligible to return for a few weeks, while QB Tyler Huntley still has to sit out two more games before he's eligible to return.

Long-snapper Blake Ferguson could also be designated to return, though he would come from the Reserve/Non-Football Illness list. Ferguson has to sit out one more game before he's eligible to return.

Once the Dolphins activate McMorris — or Cracraft, who began practicing last week — they'll have to create room on the 53-man roster.

The Dolphins currently have four safeties on the active roster — Jevon Holland, Jordan Poyer, Marcus Maye, and Elijah Campbell — plus seven cornerbacks.

THE PUP GUYS UPDATE

Along with the players on IR — the list includes preseason IR players Cam Brown, Grayson Murphy, Anthony Schwartz, Kion Smith, and Tahj Washington — the Dolphins still have three players on PUP (Physically Unable to Perform).

Those players will not count against the eight-player limit for "designated to return" purposes.

The three are Bradley Chubb, Isaiah Wynn, and Cameron Goode. While Mike McDaniel offered a positive update on their status Thursday, none of them is quite ready to start practicing yet.