The Dolphins head into Friday night’s preseason finale against the Atlanta Falcons with a roster that still feels very much in motion, and that has opened the door for a few young players who weren’t supposed to be part of the conversation this summer.
Miami’s first 53-man roster is due around the 4 p.m. ET deadline Sunday, and there’s a real chance a handful of names that barely registered with fans when camp opened end up surviving the cut. Here are five players who have pushed themselves into the mix.
Cooper has been with the Dolphins since January, when he signed a reserve/future contract, and for a while he was easy to overlook. That changed around the middle of camp, when he started flashing over and over again, showing up against the run and as a pass rusher.
He carried that over into both practice and preseason games, enough to make him a legitimate candidate for the 53-man roster. If he does get waived, he looks like a strong bet to land on the practice squad if he clears.
Defensive coordinator Sean Duggan summed up the rise this way Wednesday: "I see a quick guy who uses his hands who can do a good job anchoring in the run game and he's got some juice in the pass game, which I think with him the confidence is showing, right?" Duggan said.
"He made a couple plays. Now he has some confidence.
Now he's playing faster, and I think that's building upon itself with him."
Priebe is now in his second camp with Miami after joining as an undrafted rookie free agent in 2025, and the improvement is noticeable. The Dolphins don’t have a ton of settled answers behind their starting offensive line, which gives Priebe a real opening.
His brief work at center in the preseason game against the New York Giants was also telling, since the team was clearly checking out how much versatility he can provide. That kind of look usually means something.
At running back, De'Von Achane is the clear headliner, but the depth chart behind him has been uneven for a while. That’s why Washington, signed in May, has been able to make noise.
He isn’t one of the newer draft picks like Jaylen Wright or Ollie Gordon II, but he’s held his own with them and then some. Head coach Jeff Hafley said this week, "He's a guy that's kind of just quietly had a good camp," head coach Jeff Hafley said this week.
"He's explosive. He runs hard.
He's got a good center of gravity. He can break tackles.
He just works. I have a lot of respect for how he's approached every single day.
He just puts his head down and goes."
Herman’s path is the most unusual of the group. He came to Miami as a linebacker after playing at San Diego State, tried out at fullback, earned a contract, and has kept building from there.
He’s made a case as a blocker and has also shown reliable hands as a receiver, which is especially notable given the position switch. His chances have also improved because free agent addition Ben Sims, who had been taking snaps at fullback/H-back, has been sidelined with an injury.
Then there’s Riley, whose situation almost sounds impossible on paper. He arrived just last week, yet he has already turned heads in practice and in the preseason game against the Giants. A wave of injuries should earn him another extended look against Atlanta, and he may have done enough to make it hard for Miami to simply move on.
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