The Dolphins made their usual Saturday practice-squad moves, but the real shift came on the other sideline.
Miami elevated kicker Zane Gonzalez and edge defender Max Llewellyn for the second straight week. Gonzalez’s situation is the straightforward one: the Dolphins still do not have a kicker on the 53-man roster, and this was his second elevation.
One more promotion, and Miami will have to sign him to the active roster and make room for a new kicker. There’s no cap trick here either - elevating a kicker from the practice squad still means paying the prorated active-roster salary for that week, with the cap hit to match.
Llewellyn’s path is a little more limited. This is his final practice-squad elevation, since he was also brought up for the Week 2 game against the San Francisco 49ers and then again for the Week 7 matchup with the New York Jets. If he turns in a strong performance against New England on Sunday, he could work his way toward a more permanent spot.
The Dolphins do have edge depth available for the Patriots game. Chop Robinson, Josh Uche, Malik Herring, Rodney McGraw and newcomer Jamree Kromah were all healthy going into the weekend. Kromah, though, only arrived late in the week and is close to a lock to be inactive.
New England’s Saturday update was the bigger storyline. The Patriots announced that wide receiver A.J. Brown and running back TreVeyon Henderson were both downgraded to out after entering Friday as questionable.
That forced a pair of roster moves. New England signed running back Lan Larison from the practice squad to the 53-man roster and elevated wide receiver Ryan Miller from the practice squad. Miller is a familiar name in Miami - he played four games for the Dolphins this season and owns the team’s longest offensive play of 2026, a 77-yard touchdown catch from Malik Willis late in the Week 2 loss to San Francisco.
Brown and Henderson being unavailable matters for a Patriots offense already missing wide receivers Romeo Doubs and former Dolphin Mack Hollins, both on injured reserve. With those absences, the main threats for Miami’s defense, aside from quarterback Drake Maye, figure to be running back Rhamondre Stevenson and tight end Hunter Henry.
That also reshapes the Patriots’ depth chart for Sunday. Their top three receivers will be Kyle Williams, Efton Chism III and DeMario Douglas, while Corey Kiner moves into the No. 2 running back role behind Stevenson.
In Other News...
Dolphins O-Line Momentum Suddenly Hinges On A New Concern Up Front
Miamis offensive line has spent much of the season trying to find some stability, and the guard play has been a big reason the Dolphins have been able to lean on the run game. Kadyn Proctor and Jonah Savaiinaea have both logged heavy snap counts, and even with penalties and PFF grades that have dipped below league average at times, their presence has helped keep the interior moving in the right direction. Savaiinaeas return from an ankle injury has been especially important after the line had to absorb some early-season shuffling.
Now the momentum up front faces a fresh test with Proctor unavailable for Week 8 because of a concussion. For a unit that has already had to manage injuries while trying to build chemistry, losing one of its most-used guards adds another layer of uncertainty at exactly the wrong time. Miami has gotten enough from the pair to matter in the rushing attack, but the next stretch will show whether that progress can hold if the lineup has to change again. [Read more 🡒]
Malik Willis Forced A Tough Dolphins Sideline Conversation After Costly Mistake
A promising third-down sequence against New England took a sharp turn for Miami after Ollie Gordon II was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct following a short run, turning a manageable spot into a much tougher one for the offense. In the heat of the moment, Malik Willis made sure the message was heard on the sideline, confronting Gordon about the mistake and stressing the kind of accountability that can keep a drive from slipping away.
Willis did not leave it there, though. Even while calling out the error, he backed Gordon as a teammate and made clear the issue was about cleaning up the details, not creating a divide, which is the sort of exchange that can matter in a tight game and, just as importantly, in a locker room trying to stay connected as the season moves on. [Read more 🡒]
Dolphins Let Another Sloppy Patriots Loss Spiral In The Second Half
A wet, sloppy Week 8 loss in New England left the Dolphins staring at another game that got away in the second half, this one a 24-19 defeat that pushed the Patriots to their fifth win of the season. Miami had to navigate a Patriots offense missing A.J. Brown and TreVeyon Henderson, but the bigger issue was how quickly the game tilted once the conditions and the pressure started to pile up.
Drake Maye made the most of a clean, efficient day, going 16 of 20 for 207 yards and three touchdowns while the Patriots kept Miami under constant stress up front. The Patriots also lost tight end Hunter Henry to a foot injury and never got him back, but their defense still found enough disruption to keep the Dolphins from turning the game into a late comeback. [Read more 🡒]