MIAMI GARDENS \u2014 NFL teams must cut down their rosters to 53 players by 6 p.m. Sunday.<\/p>\n
For the Miami Dolphins, they had their preseason finale Friday night against the Atlanta Falcons. The evaluation of players all throughout training camp and three preseason games is now complete.<\/p>\n
The weekend, for general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan, working in conjunction with coach Jeff Hafley and his staff, will be full of critical decisions toward that initial active roster.<\/p>\n
And the moves already began Saturday. He made a dozen cuts<\/a>\u00a0and, later, traded backup quarterback Quinn Ewers to the Jacksonville Jaguars<\/a>.<\/p>\n Beyond the players who make the active roster Sunday, Miami can also keep cornerbacks Storm Duck and Darrell Baker Jr. on the physically-unable-to-perform list, sidelining them for the first four games of the regular season. The team can also identify up to two players to immediately place on injured reserve but with a designation to return. Rookie linebacker Trey Moore is a likely candidate there \u2014 and possibly defensive tackle Kenneth Grant.<\/p>\n The players at the end of the Dolphins\u2019 initial 53-player roster Sunday evening are by no means safe. As other teams make their cuts, Sullivan can navigate the waiver wire for potential upgrades in the days following cuts.<\/p>\n After the active roster is in place and players clear waivers, Miami can start to construct its practice squad of 16 players, 17 if it includes a player from the international program, like tight end Seydou Traore.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s a look at Dolphins writer David Furones\u2019 53-man roster projection after the Falcons game. Compare it to Dolphins columnist Chris Perkins\u2019 predictions<\/a> prior to the exhibition finale.<\/p>\n QB (1): Malik Willis<\/p>\n Off:\u00a0Cam Miller, Mark Gronowski<\/p>\n Comment: Willis is set for his first season as a starter after signing with Miami. Ewers was traded after he didn\u2019t impress in camp or the preseason while hurt. Miller and Gronowski did nothing to push for a spot on the roster with their preseason opportunities. So, Miami seems bound to have just Willis on the initial 53 and snag a quarterback let go elsewhere off waivers to be its backup to start 2026.<\/p>\n RB\/FB (5): De\u2019Von Achane, Jaylen Wright, Ollie Gordon II, Jarquez Hunter, DJ Herman (FB)<\/p>\n Off:\u00a0Carlos Washington Jr.<\/p>\n