Miami Dolphins

Miami Dolphins 2021 Final 53-man roster tracker

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The Miami Dolphins have only two days to decide who will be on the final 53-man roster. Head coach Brian Flores has a very difficult job ahead of him, and a very painful one with the discussions he has to have with many young players.

But with all that said, the NFL is still a business. The Miami Dolphins have to decide who will best help the team moving forward. And Five Reasons Sports will be keeping an eye on all the moves Miami makes throughout the next 48 hours. Stay tuned here as the page will be refreshed throughout the day.

Miami Dolphins roster cuts

  • CB Tino Ellis
  • S Nate Holley
  • RB Jordan Scarlett
  • WR Khalil McClain
  • DE Tyshun Render
  • WR Robert Foster
  • C Matt Skura
  • FB Carl Tucker
  • LB Bernardrick McKinney
  • WR Kai Locksley
  • QB Reid Sinnett
  • TE Chris Myarick
  • DE Jonathan Ledbetter
  • CB Javaris Davis
  • CB Cre’Von LeBlanc
  • DE Jason Strowbridge
  • C Cameron Tom
  • RB Patrick Laird
  • G Durval Queiroz Neto (Roster Exception)
  • WR Kirk Merritt
  • WR Malcolm Perry

Miami Dolphins on Injured Reserve

  • OT Larnel Coleman

Analysis

The very first player to be released is cornerback Tino Ellis, per his agent Dan Saffron.

Ellis is an undrafted free agent out of Maryland that initially signed a 3-year, $2.28 million dollar contract with the New Orleans Saints back in 2020. He was soon placed on waivers with an injury designation. Once he cleared waivers, he was placed on the Saints’ injured reserve list, then signed on with the Miami Dolphins practice squad last October.

Ellis failed to stand out within a stacked Miami secondary, and now he’ll be looking for a new home unless he gets claimed or the Dolphins put him on their practice squad.

The next Dolphins player to be released is former CFL superstar Nate Holley.

Holley was initially an undrafted free agent of the Minnesota Vikings back in 2017, but was released prior to that preseason. In 2018 he decided to join the Indoor Football League, playing with the Nebraska Danger, where he recorded 23 tackles and a forced fumble in two games. After that, Holley had a brief stint with the Los Angeles Rams in training camp. Unfortunately, that also did not work out. So, in 2019, Holley shifted his focus to the Canadian Football League.

Holley was named the league’s Most Outstanding Rookie with the Calgary Stampeders. During the 18 games he played there, he recorded 100 tackles, a sack, and an interception as a linebacker, the same position he played at Kent State.
Nate Holley had some real standout moments during training camp and preseason chasing down defenders. It would not be a surprise if the Dolphins opted to stash him on the practice squad if he clears waivers.
Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald is reporting that the Miami Dolphins have released running back Jordan Scarlett and wide receiver Khalil McClain.

Scarlett was originally drafted in the 5th round of the 2019 NFL draft by the Carolina Panthers, before injuries to his knee and ankle landed him on injured reserve. He spent 2020 with the Detroit Lions on their practice squad, then signed a reserve/future contract with the Dolphins this past January.
In training camp, Scarlett showed a certain amount of agility, but he seemed slow to make his decisions and could never stand out above the likes of Gerrid Doaks, who the Dolphins drafted in the 7th round of the 2021 draft.
If Scarlett makes it to the practice squad, he’s talented enough on special teams that he might be worth putting onto the practice squad.

Khalil McClain is a 6’4″ beast of a wide receiver who went undrafted and signed on with the Jacksonville Jaguars in May 2019. He was cut at the end of training camp, signed on with the Atlanta Falcons, and missed out on the 2020 season with an injury.

Afterwards, McClain signed on with the Chicago Bears this past May, only to be waived again about two months later. McClain has incredible physical traits, but he isn’t particularly quick, which makes him a liability when trying to gain separation. Perhaps McClain should consider a move to tight end, given the way the game is changing. Facing linebackers and safeties would be much better if he wants a long-term NFL career. He’s already tall enough, he just needs to bulk up.

The Miami Dolphins have now opted to part ways with defensive end Tyshun Render, per the Miami Herald’s Barry Jackson.

Render is a hard-hitting undrafted free agent who was originally signed by the Dolphins back in 2020. He didn’t make the final cut last year either, but he was quickly added to the practice squad after clearing waivers. He was active for Weeks 5 and 14 that season, but did not record any stats.

Tyshun Render should be a priority practice squad addition again this season. He has qualities to his game that make him worth investing in, not the least of which is his strong effort level on every play. Technique is his main weakness, but that can be taught.

Per the Miami Herald’s Barry Jackson, the Miami Dolphins have released speedy wide receiver Robert Foster with an injury settlement. Foster’s release marks the second wide receiver Miami has parted ways with so far, along with Khalil McClain.

The 27-year old Foster is a former Alabama player. During Foster’s final year there, he saw limited action with Tua Tagovailoa as a freshman. While his productivity in college was limited thanks to injuries and a loaded wide receiver room, Foster’s talent is undeniable. His rookie year with the Buffalo Bills as an undrafted free agent is proof positive.

If another team doesn’t pick him up, he can be eligible for the practice squad as a veteran.

In an unfortunate turn of events, the Miami Dolphins have opted to release veteran center Matt Skura. This effectively ends the experiment where Miami hoped he’d return to form and earn the starting job.

Skura infamously suffered from snapping problems with the Baltimore Ravens. This ultimately led to his release and allowed the Dolphins to try and revive his career. Before the snapping issues took hold, Skura was well on his way to becoming one of the league’s top centers. Unfortunately, with the Dolphins, Skura never emerged as the clear starter. Ultimately, the job was given to third-year offensive lineman Michael Deiter.

By releasing Skura, the Dolphins save $1,350,000 in cap space. Miami undoubtedly is watching their budget carefully with all the extensions that players are due next season, not the least of which is tight end Mike Gesicki.

In a stunning move, the Miami Dolphins have released veteran linebacker Benardrick McKinney. The 28-year old McKinney was acquired along with a 7th round pick via trade from the Houston Texans back in March in exchange for Shaq Lawson and a 6th round pick. Now, with this move, neither team has the player they traded for, as Lawson was traded to the New York Jets days earlier.

In releasing McKinney, Miami saves $2,250,000 in cap space. This is after McKinney took a pay cut to become more team friendly. Now he’ll be looking for work just two weeks before the season is set to begin.

The release of McKinney is a big surprise because the veteran’s performance indicated he was on the fast track to being a starter. However, as pointed out by Alfredo Arteaga of the “3 Yards Per Carry” podcast, McKinney’s role is not a coveted one in today’s speed-based NFL. The return of Elandon Roberts made McKinney expendable, as they both do the exact same job and Miami decided that they did not need two of the same player.

Given the track record of Brian Flores, this may not be the first shocker move the Dolphins make. More are sure to come as Miami continues to trim the roster.

The Miami Dolphins have waived rookie FB/TE Carl Tucker.

Tucker went undrafted out of Alabama and was signed on to the Dolphins roster as a free agent. Obviously, Tua Tagovailoa knows him well from his college days. But Tucker failed to make any sort of real impact and didn’t stand out in practice or in the preseason. His best chance to make an NFL roster is to the route that Charles Clay did and try to become a tight end type of player. Fullbacks, unfortunately, are not in high demand in today’s NFL.

Per the Miami Herald’s Barry Jackson, rookie offensive lineman Larnel Coleman will likely be placed on injured reserve as he goes in for knee surgery. This report was confirmed by Armando Salguero and the Sun Sentinel’s David Furones.

Coleman is a promising 7th round draft pick out of Umass Amherst with incredibly long arms that helped be a starter in college at both tackle positions. He had moments in practice this season that caught some positive attention, but his final preseason performance was disappointing at best. With Coleman going in for surgery and needing months to recover, that makes him an instant candidate for the injured reserve list, which means Miami will technically get to stash him for free until next season. That also saves at least one player from having to be outright cut.

Another wide receiver has been cut from the all-too loaded list, as the Miami Dolphins waived Kai Locksley.

Locksley was a QB at UTEP and converted to wide receiver, which created some interesting possibilities similarly to the way Malcolm Perry does. However, as a wide receiver, Locksley’s chances of making the team were painfully slim. If he clears waivers, he could be brought back to the practice squad.

The unfortunate but expected end of Reid Sinnett as a Miami Dolphins QB has finally come to an end.

Sinnett caught the attention and the hearts of Dolphins fans everywhere this past Sunday. During the final preseason game of 2021, Sinnett completed 22 out of 33 passes for 343 yards, two touchdowns and an interception.

The second touchdown of the day he threw came on a Hail Mary pass in the final minutes of the game. It was tight end Chris Myarick who leaped up and came down with it in the endzone to put Miami on top, erasing the excitement of the super serious Bengals fans who desperately wanted them to win.

Naturally, Sinnett is wanted back on the practice squad. After his final performance, it’s going to be interesting to see if he clears waivers.

Tight end Chris Myarick has once again not made the final 53-man roster, and will likely land on the practice squad for another season with the Miami Dolphins.

Chris Myarick has been on and off the Dolphins roster for the past few seasons now, always showing solid skill but never doing enough to stand out above his teammates. His most notable moment in his career is making the Hail Mary catch in the endzone in the preseason from Reid Sinnett. If nothing else, he’s always a solid emergency option for Miami if the worst comes to pass. Expect to see him return to the practice squad.


Dolphins defensive end Jonathan Ledbetter has been waived per the Miami Herald’s Barry Jackson.

Ledbetter signed with the Dolphins as an undrafted free agent back in 2019, and has only played in one game mostly due to injuries to other players. In that game against the Ravens, he recorded half a sack and four tackles before going onto injured reserve.

The Dolphins have waived cornerbacks Javaris Davis and Cre’Von LeBlanc, shrinking down the already loaded secondary.

Davis is actually the cousin of former Dolphins cornerback Vontae Davis. While he hasn’t showed superstar potential like his cousin, Javaris Davis has shown enough that Miami wants him back on the practice squad. Ironically enough, Davis was teammates with first round pick Noah Igbinoghene at Auburn, and has much more experience than him at playing cornerback.

LeBlanc, on the other hand, has NFL experience and has been around the league. He originally went undrafted in 2016 and was signed by the Patriots, which means he has a connection to head coach Brian Flores. He was waived with an injury designation that same year, but was claimed by the Chicago Bears, where he made his first career interception off of Matthew Stafford and returned it for a touchdown.

LeBlanc spent a stint with the Eagles and started showing his full potential there, but injuries have derailed his career. He signed with the Dolphins as a free agent earlier during training camp, but ultimately didn’t impress anyone.

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