The Miami Dolphins have already spent Monday turning over the bottom of the roster, and GM Jon-Eric Sullivan made it clear that the work is nowhere close to finished.
That matters now because another quarterback just hit the waiver wire: Joe Milton III.
Dallas waived Milton on Monday after adding running back Emari Demercado from the Arizona Cardinals, and while the Cowboys are believed to be doing it with the idea of bringing Milton back to the practice squad, Miami is in a much different spot. The Dolphins are treating the roster as an ongoing project, and Sullivan said as much when he said, "You guys know we're always going to churn this thing and keep this thing rolling in terms of roster development and competition."
That mindset is exactly why Milton makes sense for Miami.
Milton came out of Tennessee as a raw prospect, but one with tools that jump off the page. He brings mobility and a big arm that has been described as as good as any quarterback in the NFL, if not better. The nickname "Bazooka Joe" says plenty about what he offers.
He is not a finished product. That part is obvious.
But in Dallas, the word was that Milton was essentially on the same level as Sam Howell, though Howell is viewed as the safer option if Dak Prescott were to go down. That tracks for a Cowboys team that is built to win now.
The Dolphins are operating on a different timeline.
Miami is trying to build a foundation and an identity while also finding young players who can become real contributors later on. That is why the waiver wire matters so much to this team right now, and why Milton should be in the mix.
The Dolphins are 11th in the waiver priority order, so if they do make a claim, they will need the 10 teams ahead of them to pass. Those teams, in order, are Las Vegas, New York Jets, Arizona, Tennessee, New York Giants, Cleveland, Washington, New Orleans, Kansas City and Cincinnati.
That is a tough lane, and it would not be surprising if other teams also took a shot at Milton because of his physical traits. Miami’s best-case scenario is that the rest of the league decides it is already set at quarterback and leaves Milton alone.
The Dolphins have been busy at quarterback already, adding Kyle McCord and Brady Cook over the past couple of days. But neither move required a major commitment. Both players are on minimum or near-minimum money, and the pick used to get McCord was a sixth-rounder two years out.
Milton would fit the same general profile on cost, with a very manageable price tag as he enters the third year of his four-year rookie contract after going to the New England Patriots in the sixth round in 2024.
He also brings more NFL experience than either of Miami’s recent additions. Milton has played in five games over his first two seasons, with no starts.
McCord is a second-year quarterback who has not appeared in a regular-season game, while Cook started four of his five games as a rookie for the Jets last year. Milton is already in his third season, and that matters.
So the argument for Miami is pretty straightforward. Milton is unproven, but so are McCord and Cook. The difference is that Milton’s upside looks higher.
That is why the Dolphins should put in the claim. If they get him, they can move on from Cook, who would end up back in the same waiver process after being cut by the Jets. Miami could even circle back and bring Cook to the practice squad once he clears again, with the possibility of keeping him there or replacing Mark Gronowski.
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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 🡒]