The Miami Dolphins weren’t finished after trimming to their initial 53-man roster Sunday. By Monday, they had claimed seven players off waivers, a busy haul that touched nearly every corner of the roster.
The headliner is tight end Justin Joly, Denver’s 2025 fifth-round pick and an N.C. State product who was waived during final cuts just four months after the Broncos drafted him. Joly put together a strong final season in college, earning first-team All-ACC honors after hauling in 49 passes and tying a single-season program record while leading the team with seven receiving touchdowns.
He was pushed out of a crowded Denver tight end group that included Evan Engram, Adam Trautman and Dallen Bentley. Still, Joly made his presence felt in the preseason finale against Minnesota, when he caught an 88-yard touchdown pass. He finished the preseason with five catches for 105 yards.
Now he lands in Miami, where the tight end room looks less established and the opportunity feels different. Joly’s athleticism and work after the catch make him an intriguing receiving option.
The Dolphins also added quarterback Brady Cook, and the timing matters. Miami had already acquired Kyle McCord from the Green Bay Packers and traded Quinn Ewers to the Jacksonville Jaguars the day before, so Cook gives the team another fresh arm behind Malik Willis.
Cook’s rookie season with the New York Jets included four starts, all losses, while he threw for 739 yards, two touchdowns and seven interceptions. One of those starts came against Miami, when he completed 14 of 30 passes for 163 yards and two interceptions.
His NFL.com draft scouting report from Lance Zierlein read: "Tantalizing prospect thanks to his athleticism and arm talent but the more I studied, the more doubt creeped in. Cook played with a better command of the offense in 2023, which led to better in-game rhythm and results.
He can make every NFL throw but struggles to make them with consistent timing and accuracy. Cook needs to improve his eye discipline to keep windows open and safeties out of his business.
He’s an average decision-maker and field-reader who defaults to unsound passing platforms when he feels pressure. He has the size and mobility to make plays as a scrambler and with designed runs.
Cook’s physical traits and athletic ability are worth a discussion as a developmental prospect."
Miami’s preseason made its quarterback depth issue hard to ignore, especially when the drop-off showed after Malik Willis left the Washington game. Given how often the franchise has been forced to lean on backups because of injuries in recent years, adding Cook alongside the McCord trade gives the Dolphins a fuller group behind Willis.
The Dolphins also used two claims on offensive linemen. Chukwuebuka Godrick, a 6-foot-5 tackle who entered the NFL through the International Player Pathway program in 2022, appeared in four games for Kansas City last season and started the final three. Pro Football Focus graded him at 65.6 in pass protection across those starts, while his run blocking lagged behind with a 38.2 grade against Denver and a 53.3 average over the three games.
Jarrett Kingston brings more versatility. Drafted by San Francisco in the sixth round in 2024, he has played both guard and tackle, appeared in two games last season and saw action in seven games in 2024.
That kind of flexibility matters for a Miami line that has dealt with depth concerns.
The last three claims came in the secondary. Marcellas Dial Jr., a 2024 sixth-round pick by New England, played in all 17 games as a rookie before missing last season with a torn ACL.
Reese Taylor has spent time with Kansas City and Denver and has mainly worked on special teams. Julius Wood appeared in nine games for Tennessee in 2024 and also played most of his snaps on special teams.
For a young defensive back group, those three bring more experience and more special-teams value to the table.
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Kenneth Grants injury also shaped some of those decisions, leaving the Dolphins to sort through a few unexpected options as they head into the season. For players like Woodard, Cooper and Herman, the challenge now shifts from surviving camp to proving they can carry that momentum into a much different stage, where roster spots are earned all over again once the games count. [Read more 🡒]
Dolphins Roster Churn Just Created Some Unexpected Depth Battles
The Dolphins roster picture changed quickly after the initial 53-man cutdown, and the front office wasted little time adding more competition across the board. Miami landed seven players off waivers and also signed former Chiefs edge rusher Malik Herring, a clear sign the team still sees opportunities to strengthen depth and potentially improve a few spots before the season settles in.
To make room, the Dolphins released or waived eight players, including Clelin Ferrell, A.J. Green III and Max Llewellyn, underscoring how fluid the back end of the roster can be this time of year. What comes next is a fresh round of depth battles, with the newcomers arriving not just as bodies for camp, but as legitimate challengers who could push for roles in Miamis rotation. [Read more 🡒]
Dolphins Take Another Flier On Two Familiar Draft Names
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For a roster that is always searching for useful depth up front, the moves make sense as a low-risk way to widen the pool. Miami also moved on from quarterback Mark Gronowski to make room, a reminder that practice-squad churn is part of the weekly business as the Dolphins keep sorting through familiar names and trying to find help wherever it might be hiding. [Read more 🡒]