The biggest name to come out of the Dolphins’ Sunday morning cut wave was linebacker Tyrel Dodson, and the reasoning behind it looks simple enough: money.
Dodson was among nine players reported released or waived as Miami worked toward the 6 p.m. ET roster cutdown deadline, with Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald among the reporters on the moves. The group also included QB Cam Miller, WR Terrace Marshall Jr., CB Miles Battle, RB Carlos Washington Jr., LB Cam Riley, S Major Burns and CB Jai'Onte' McMillan.
Those decisions came on the heels of the 12 official cuts the Dolphins made Saturday, plus the trade of quarterback Quinn Ewers to the Jacksonville Jaguars for a 2028 sixth-round pick.
Dodson’s exit stands out because of what he produced in 2025. He finished with 129 tackles and was third on the team with five sacks, behind only Bradley Chubb and Zach Sieler. Even so, the Dolphins were looking at a 2026 cap hit that included a $2.4 million base salary and a $600,000 roster bonus, and the move is expected to clear about $3 million in salary-cap space.
That kind of savings makes the decision easier to understand, even if the football value is harder to ignore. The idea appears to be that Dodson was not part of Miami’s long-range plan after the team drafted Jacob Rodriguez and Trey Moore in 2026, and that giving up some linebacker depth was the price of doing business for GM Jon-Eric Sullivan and head coach Jeff Hafley.
If the Dolphins are not in the playoff mix in 2026, the move probably won’t draw much second-guessing. But if injuries pile up and Miami somehow finds itself in the hunt late in the season, the lack of linebacker depth could become a problem.
The one thing Miami did not get was compensation for Dodson. That would have been the preferred outcome, but his $3 million price tag apparently kept that from happening. The Dolphins were able to get something back for wide receiver Tutu Atwell, though his price tag was just over $1 million, not $3 million.
Dodson’s run in Miami ends after 1 1/2 seasons. The Dolphins claimed him off waivers from the Seattle Seahawks midway through the 2024 season, and he played well enough to earn an extension after that year. But the regime change this offseason left him vulnerable, and now he’s out.
The other Sunday morning cuts were less surprising. Major Burns had a chance to make the 53, but his release leaves Miami with four safeties on the roster - or five if rookie fourth-round pick Kyle Louis is counted there, even though he is still listed as a linebacker. The safeties currently on the roster are Dante Trader Jr., Zayne Anderson, Lonnie Johnson Jr. and rookie fifth-round pick Michael Taaffe.
Cam Miller never looked like a serious threat to make the roster, even after the Ewers trade, and the same was true for Mark Gronowski, who was still on the roster as of Sunday morning.
August 29 saw Miami waive CB Alex Austin, RB Coleman Bennett, T Kevin Cline, EDGE Seth Coleman-Lyles, TE Ethan Conner, ILB Stephen Dix Jr., RB Donovan Edwards, DL Alex Huntley, S Louis Moore, DL Cam Rice, ILB Jaheim Thomas and WR Theo Wease Jr., while also trading Ewers to Jacksonville for that 2028 sixth-round pick.
August 30 brought the release of Dodson and the waivers of Marshall Jr., Jeremiah Franklin, Miles Battle, Miller, Carlos Washington Jr., Cam Riley, Burns and McMillan.
In Other News...
Dolphins Backfield Suddenly Has One Trade Question Fans Should Watch
The Dolphins have already made one backfield move this week, shipping Tutu Atwell to the Rams in exchange for running back Jarquez Hunter, and it was the kind of swap that naturally invites a little roster-watching in Miami. Any time a team adds a young runner, it stirs up the same question about how the depth chart might shift, especially for a club that has spent a lot of time trying to get the right mix behind its top options.
Josh Jacobs legal situation in Green Bay only adds another layer to the conversation around running back movement around the league, even if there is nothing official on Miamis side yet. For the Dolphins, the intrigue is less about a completed deal than about whether the market could keep opening up and make one of their own players a candidate to move if the right opportunity comes along. [Read more 🡒]
Dolphins Just Raised A Bigger Question About Their Quarterback Plan
The Dolphins used the cutdown deadline to reshape a few corners of the roster, and the moves were more revealing than routine. Miami sent wideout Tutu Atwell to the Rams for running back Jarquez Hunter, then dealt quarterback Quinn Ewers to Jacksonville for a 2028 sixth-round pick pending a physical, while also waiving more than a dozen players and claiming two others. On paper, it was a busy churn of fringe roster business. In practice, it also nudged the conversation back toward how Miami wants to build out the back end of the depth chart and where it stands with its quarterback room.
Ewers was never going to be the headliner here, but moving him anyway is the kind of decision that gets attention because it touches the one position teams almost never stop managing. The financial angle matters too, since these kinds of trades can help shape the books while clearing space for other players, and Miami clearly chose flexibility over keeping a developmental arm in house. The bigger question now is what this says about the Dolphins broader quarterback plan, especially with the deadline pressure easing and the roster nearly set. [Read more 🡒]
Dolphins Just Made A Linebacker Move That Changes The Defensive Picture
The Dolphins are making a notable change in the middle of their defense, parting ways with veteran linebacker Tyrel Dodson as they continue reshaping the group around younger pieces. Dodson was in the final year of a two-year deal with Miami and had been a steady presence across the 2025 season, appearing in 16 games and logging a solid workload.
Miamis decision comes with the draft in the rearview mirror, where the selection of Jacob Rodriguez helped clarify the teams direction at linebacker. For a defense that has leaned on experience, the move opens up more opportunity for a newer face while also signaling that the Dolphins are willing to adjust quickly as they settle on their long-term answer at the position. [Read more 🡒]