{"id":384749,"date":"2026-08-29T18:42:15","date_gmt":"2026-08-29T18:42:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/384749\/"},"modified":"2026-08-29T18:42:15","modified_gmt":"2026-08-29T18:42:15","slug":"final-2026-miami-dolphins-53-man-roster-prediction-who-played-their-way-on-or-off-the-roster","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/384749\/","title":{"rendered":"Final 2026 Miami Dolphins 53-man roster Prediction: Who played their way on or off the roster?"},"content":{"rendered":"

\t\t\t\t\t\tHome<\/a><\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\/<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tNFL<\/a><\/p>\n

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\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tMiami Dolphins<\/a><\/p>\n

One last 53-man roster prediction for the Miami Dolphins as the first reports of cuts across the NFL start to emerge.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\"\"
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tAug 28, 2026; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Miami Dolphins wide receiver Chris Bell (18) reacts after gaining yardage against the Atlanta Falcons during the first quarter of a pre season game at Hard Rock Stadium.
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tRich Storry-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

The Miami Dolphins<\/a> have begun the process of trimming their roster from 90+ players to just 53 men. It\u2019s a sudden change \u2014 and one of the least enjoyable weekends in all of football. There will be dreams crushed this weekend, while others are brought to life. <\/p>\n

How do things ultimately shake out in South Florida? Here\u2019s one last 53-man roster prediction for this summer as the dust settles on Miami\u2019s 17-12 loss to the Atlanta Falcons in Week 3 of the 2026 preseason. Here\u2019s my best guess for the next 48 hours. <\/p>\n

Final 2026 Miami Dolphins 53-man roster Prediction<\/p>\n

\"\"Aug 28, 2026; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Miami Dolphins wide receiver Chris Bell (18) reacts after gaining yardage against the Atlanta Falcons during the first quarter of a pre season game at Hard Rock Stadium. Rich Storry-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

Quarterback (3)<\/p>\n

IN:\u00a0Malik Willis, Quinn Ewers, Mystery QB
OUT:\u00a0Cam Miller, Mark Gronowski<\/p>\n

Hardest decision: Who to add among the available quarterbacks. But Ewers not playing the last two weeks probably helps his case to stay on the roster, as Cam Miller did not offer much in elevated opportunities. Miami, even if they add a new face, will need someone more familiar with their scheme to start. I\u2019d assume that will be Ewers. <\/p>\n

Running back (4)<\/p>\n

IN:\u00a0De\u2019Von Achane, Jaylen Wright, Ollie Gordon II, Jarquez Hunter
OUT:\u00a0Carlos Washington Jr., Donovan Edwards, FB D.J. Herman (R), Bennett Coleman<\/p>\n

Hardest decision: Leaving Carlos Washington Jr. off. Hunter\u2019s addition via trade eats a fourth spot and I\u2019d be very surprised to see Miami move off of either Gordon II or Jaylen Wright unless they find a trade partner.<\/p>\n

Wide receiver (5)<\/p>\n

IN:\u00a0Caleb Douglas (R), Malik Washington, Jalen Tolbert, Kevin Coleman Jr. (R), Chris Bell (R)
OUT: AJ Henning, Jalen Reagor, Terrace Marshall Jr., Ryan Miller, Theo Wease Jr., Donaven McCulley (R)<\/p>\n

Hardest decision: Risking AJ Henning. I think Jalen Reagor can be a tenured practice squad option for Miami. But Henning has shown some juice. The numbers, in my opinion, just don\u2019t favor six wide receivers for a run-heavy offense. <\/p>\n

Tight end (4)<\/p>\n

IN:\u00a0Greg Dulcich, Will Kacmarek (R), Ben Sims, Seydou Traore (R)
OUT: Jeremiah Franklin (R), Ethan Conner (R)<\/p>\n

Hardest decision: Investing a 53-man spot on Traore versus potentially a veteran player. Traore has high, high upside. Miami drafted him in the 5th-round. They would seem invested here and likely keep him. But his play during the preseason suggested he may be more of a long-term player and not ready for a role on Sundays this fall. <\/p>\n

Offensive line (9)<\/p>\n

IN:\u00a0LT Patrick Paul, LG Kadyn Proctor (R), C Aaron Brewer, RG Jonah Savaiinaea, RT Austin Jackson, OL Caedan Wallace, OG DJ Campbell (R), C Andrew Meyer, Mystery OL
OUT:\u00a0Charlie Heck, Gottlieb Ayedze, Josh Priebe, Kevin Cline (R), Marques Cox<\/p>\n

Hardest decision: Finding a viable utility player on the waiver wire. This will be a tall task. But Miami\u2019s top-seven names are fairly well separated from the pack. You just can\u2019t go into a season with seven offensive linemen \u2014\u00a0the odds are high that someone else is going to have to play. <\/p>\n

\"\"Oct 12, 2025; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Miami Dolphins defensive tackle Kenneth Grant (90).Rich Storry-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

Defensive line (5)<\/p>\n

IN:\u00a0Zach Sieler, Kenneth Grant, Jordan Phillips, Zeek Biggers, Keith Cooper Jr.
OUT:\u00a0Matthew Butler, Alex Huntley, Fatorma Mulbah, Cam Rice<\/p>\n

Hardest decision: Leaving Matthew Butler off. But Butler, who had a half-sack on Friday night, is 27 years old. I\u2019d lean into the upside of Cooper Jr., who is four years younger. <\/p>\n

Linebacker (6)<\/p>\n

IN:\u00a0Jordyn Brooks, Jacob Rodriguez (R), Tyrel Dodson, Kyle Louis (R), Ronnie Harrison Jr., Jackson Woodard
OUT:\u00a0Cam Riley, Stephen Dix Jr. (R), Jaheim Thomas (R)<\/p>\n

Hardest decision: None. I think these dudes can all play in some way, shape, or form. Keep \u2019em all. <\/p>\n

EDGE\/Outside Linebacker (5)<\/p>\n

IN:\u00a0Chop Robinson, Joshua Uche, Clelin Ferrell, Willie Gay Jr., Mystery EDGE
OUT:\u00a0David Ojabo, Cameron Goode, Robert Beal Jr., Max Llewellyn (R), Rodney McGraw (R), Seth Coleman-Lyles
Injured Reserve (Designated for return): Trey Moore (R)<\/p>\n

Hardest decision: Whether or not to preemptively IR-to return Moore. If there\u2019s any risk Moore doesn\u2019t come back this season, perhaps Miami cuts to 52 players plus Moore, then puts him on the reserve list on Monday amid their presumed waiver claims. You\u2019d hate to burn an IR-return designation and then not use it. <\/p>\n

Cornerback (5)<\/p>\n

IN:\u00a0Chris Johnson Jr. (R), JuJu Brents, Jason Marshall Jr., Ethan Bonner, AJ Green III
OUT:\u00a0Alex Austin, Miles Battle, Nick McCloud, Marco Wilson, Ahmad Harvey, Ethan Robinson, Jai\u2019Onte\u2019 McMillan (R)
PUP List: Darrell Baker Jr., Storm Duck<\/p>\n

Hardest decision: Whether or not to add someone new into the mix. I would imagine the Dolphins would like to add someone. But when will Darrell Baker Jr. and Storm Duck be ready to come back? Can they find an upgrade in waivers? <\/p>\n

Safety (4)<\/p>\n

IN:\u00a0Dante Trader Jr., Zayne Anderson, Michael Taaffe (R), Major Burns
OUT:\u00a0Louis Moore (R), Lonnie Johnson Jr. <\/p>\n

Hardest decision: Lonnie Johnson Jr. versus Major Burns. Burns is young, long, and physical. He\u2019s shown up around the ball as a tackler and been an impactful striker. I just think they tap into his ceiling versus Lonnie Johnson Jr., who is a 30-year old veteran. <\/p>\n

Specialists (3)<\/p>\n

IN:\u00a0K Riley Patterson, Mystery Punter, LS Tucker Addington
OUT:\u00a0P Bradley Pinion<\/p>\n

Hardest decision: Changing out Pinion. But he\u2019s had punts of 15, 25, 33, and 36 yards this preseason \u2014\u00a0that\u2019s nearly 25% of his total kicks. I would have to imagine this is at least a conversation. <\/p>\n

\"Play<\/a><\/p>\n

\t\t\t\"\"\t\t<\/p>\n

Miami Dolphins News<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Home \/ NFL \/ Miami Dolphins One last 53-man roster prediction for the Miami Dolphins as the first…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":384750,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[154194,1250,102342,123,1763,2797,125,124],"class_list":["post-384749","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-miami","tag-53-man-projection","tag-dolphins","tag-dolphins-news","tag-miami","tag-miami-dolphins","tag-miami-dolphins-news","tag-miami-headlines","tag-miami-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/384749","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=384749"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/384749\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/384750"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=384749"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=384749"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=384749"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}