The Miami Dolphins are only halfway through training camp, but the picture is already getting clearer as the preseason nears and the roster deadline creeps up. In exactly three Sundays - August 30 - Miami has to get down to 53 players, and while there’s still time for late movement, Jeff Hafley and his staff probably already have a strong feel for where this thing is headed.
Through nine practices, some bubble players have helped themselves. Others have left more questions than answers. That’s where this latest roster projection starts to take shape.
At quarterback, the math has already changed because Mark Gronowski has been dumped. That leaves room for one more cut behind the group of De'Von Achane, Jaylen Wright and Ollie Gordon II at running back, with Donovan Edwards, Carlos Washington Jr. and Anthony Hankerson (R) on the outside looking in. Washington still looks like the young back with the best chance to push his way onto the roster.
Receiver remains one of the more interesting spots, and the projection keeps Jalen Tolbert, Malik Washington and Theo Wease Jr. alongside rookies Chris Bell (R), Caleb Douglas (R) and Kevin Coleman Jr. (R).
Tahj Washington, A.J. Henning, Terrace Marshall Jr., Jalen Reagor, Donaven McCulley (R) and Tutu Atwell are projected off, though Bell’s ramped-up conditioning work before practice has made it look more likely than not that he’ll be taken off NFI in time for the regular season.
Atwell has yet to put together enough good tape, even if Saturday was better.
Tight end has a fairly firm top end with Greg Dulcich and Will Kacmarek (R) as the locks. Seydou Traore (R) and Ben Sims round out the projection, while Cole Turner, FB D.J.
Herman and Jeremiah Franklin (R) are left off. Herman has apparently been a smooth target in the passing game after converting from linebacker at San Diego State, and Turner has taken advantage of recent absences by Dulcich and Sims.
Up front, the projection includes Patrick Paul, Austin Jackson, Aaron Brewer, Jamaree Salyer, Jonah Savaiinaea, Kadyn Proctor (R), Charlie Heck, Andrew Meyer and DJ Campbell (R). Josh Priebe, Marques Cox, Kevin Cline (R), James Ester, Jim Bonitas (R) and Gottlieb Ayedze are on the cut list.
This is one of the clearer groups on paper because of offseason moves, though Heck has struggled and Salyer has been out since the first few days. It also wouldn’t be a shock if Miami keeps only eight here instead of nine.
The edge group is where the competition really starts to tighten. Chop Robinson, Josh Uche, David Ojabo, Trey Moore (R) and Clelin Ferrell are projected to make it, while Robert Beal Jr., Mason Reiger (R), Rodney McGraw (R), Max Llewellyn (R) and Cameron Goode are left off.
Robinson, Uche and Moore feel safest, but the rest of the spots could go in a lot of directions. Any combination of Ferrell, Ojabo, Goode and Beal would make sense from this view, while Llewellyn and Reiger haven’t done enough yet.
The defensive tackle projection is the easiest call on the roster: Zach Sieler, Kenneth Grant, Jordan Phillips, Zeek Biggers and Matthew Butler. Alex Huntley, Keith Cooper Jr. and Fatorma Mulbah are the odd men out. Miami has a strong mix there, and Butler’s camp has apparently been especially encouraging.
Linebacker may be the hardest call of all. The projection has Jordyn Brooks, Tyrel Dodson, Jacob Rodriguez (R), Ronnie Harrison Jr., Kyle Louis (R) and Jackson Woodard on the team, with Woodard in and Gay Jr. out from the previous projection.
Harrison has done enough to earn a place, but the final decisions could come down to Woodard, Gay and maybe even Dodson. That tension isn’t just coming from the recent comments from Jeff Hafley and DC Sean Duggan about Gay needing to fit the defense better.
In the secondary, JuJu Brents, Chris Johnson (R), Jason Marshall Jr., Ethan Bonner, Alex Austin and A.J. Green III are projected to survive, while Ethan Robinson, Miles Battle, Darrell Baker Jr., Ahmari Harvey, Storm Duck and Marco Wilson are off.
Austin and Green are new additions in this projection, while Duck and Wilson are out. The first four names look solid enough, but the last two spots are still wide open.
Duck and Baker likely begin the season on Reserve/PUP and would miss at least the first four games. Harvey, as the late arrival, appears to be the one with the least traction.
Safety is another spot with a fairly stable top end. Dante Trader Jr., Michael Taaffe (R) and Zayne Anderson are projected in, with Lonnie Johnson Jr. holding the final spot over Moore. Johnson has missed the last few practices with a leg injury, and Moore now has a chance to move ahead, though he hasn’t clearly done it yet.
Special teams comes down to Riley Patterson at kicker, P Bradley Pinion at punter and LS Tucker Addington at long snapper. Gonzalez leaving practice early Saturday may have been the biggest development in the kicking battle so far, and that’s why Patterson gets the nod in what has been a tough competition to read from the start.
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