The Miami Dolphins’ latest flurry of trades has done more than shuffle the roster. It has put Jon-Eric Sullivan front and center.
What happened Thursday, Saturday and Sunday was not the kind of blockbuster that grabs every headline across the league. It was something quieter, and maybe more revealing: a string of moves that showed a new general manager willing to act fast, cut loose players he didn’t want and keep the roster moving on his terms.
The chain started with TuTu Atwell going back to the L.A. Rams for a running back most fans haven’t heard of.
Then Quinn Ewers was sent to the Jaguars for a 2028 sixth-round draft pick. Sullivan turned around and used that pick to bring in quarterback Kyle McCord from the Packers.
That sequence says plenty about how he’s operating. Jaylen Waddle was a player other teams wanted, so that kind of trade was easy to understand.
Sullivan’s work was different. He moved two players he didn’t really want and still came away with a player someone else valued.
That’s the kind of efficiency front offices chase.
Atwell’s exit was hardly shocking. He had been inconsistent in Miami, and his practices never really settled into anything reliable.
He was set to make $1.2 million, fully guaranteed if he had made the roster, but Sullivan apparently looked at the situation and saw a cut coming on Sunday. The Dolphins had only put $187,500 into him, so the move brought back nearly all of that in cap relief.
It’s not a massive number, but for a team tight on money, even small savings matter.
The Ewers deal carried a louder message. Sullivan moved on from the quarterback because he wasn’t convinced Ewers could handle backup duties, even though the coaching staff saw it differently. Barry Jackson reported Friday that there was internal discussion building around Ewers’ future, and the next day he was gone.
There was already a split behind the scenes. Ewers had support from the coaching staff, but the front office was unhappy with his training camp, especially after what had been a strong May and June. Ewers said injuries were the reason for the drop-off.
Sullivan’s approach has been clear since he officially took over the GM job. He released Tua Tagovailoa and Tyreek Hill, then traded Jaylen Waddle. These latest moves fit the same pattern: decisive, unsentimental, and firmly centered on what he believes.
Atwell leaving isn’t a surprise, and the bigger point is that he couldn’t crack a Dolphins receiver group that has been thin at the position. He couldn’t separate himself from players like Jalen Reagor or Jalen Tolbert, who also haven’t exactly lit up camp. Ewers, meanwhile, was trending in the same direction.
By the time the roster crunch got real, Sullivan seemed to view Ewers as closer to Cam Miller than Malik Willis. So instead of waiting for the 53-man deadline and letting those players go for nothing, he got something back for both.
That’s what makes the McCord move matter. Once the Dolphins were without a backup quarterback, Sullivan could have sat back and hoped McCord survived the waiver process.
He didn’t want to risk that. He had done the work on the player, and he went out and got him.
Maybe these moves all work out. Maybe they don’t.
But Sullivan has made one thing obvious already: he’s not waiting around for opportunity to come to him. He’s going after it himself.
In Other News...
Dolphins Final Roster Has A Few Unexpected Winners To Watch
The Dolphins have set their 53-man roster, and a few names that might not have been penciled in a month ago are suddenly part of the conversation. Jackson Woodard, Keith Cooper Jr. and D.J. Herman all played their way into jobs with steady camp work, and their inclusion says plenty about how Miami weighed performance, consistency and versatility as it built out the back end of the roster.
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
The Dolphins added eight players to the practice squad, and two of the more interesting names are a pair of former first-round picks who already know what the NFL looks like. Defensive tackle Mazi Smith and edge rusher Clelin Ferrell both arrive with previous league experience, and both were picked up after being released by other teams, giving Miami a chance to take another look at players whose pro careers have not followed a straight line.
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 🡒]