The 2024 NFL preseason is officially over for the Miami Dolphins, who will soon turn their attention to assembling the 53-man roster and 16-man practice squad. General manager Chris Grier and head coach Mike McDaniel have some difficult decisions ahead of the 53-man deadline on Tuesday, Aug. 27 at 4:00 p.m. ET.
Once the cuts start, we will update this piece.
2024 NFL roster cuts important details:
Unlike it used to happen, now there is only one roster cut deadline. It means the roster must be reduced from 90 (or 91, if you count the International Pathway Program exception) to 53 all at once. For that to happen, the team can utilize several roster tools.
Release: Players with four or more accrued seasons (vested veterans) can be released. If that happens, they immediately become free agents and are available to sign with any team — which includes signing back with their original teams. With the new IR rules (we will talk more about it later), the mechanism to cut vested veterans and sign them back on day 2 will be less prevalent, but it might still be used eventually — because there will be only two designations to return for players placed on IR before the initial 53.
Waiver: When players with fewer than four accrued seasons (non-vested veterans or rookies) are cut, they are not immediately released from their current contracts. They go through a waiver system, in which every other team in the NFL can claim their deals. If two or more teams try to claim the same player, the priority respects the original order of the draft (through week 3 of the regular season). If the player passes through waivers unclaimed, then he becomes a true free agent and is available to sign a new contract with anyone.
Waived/injured: When a non-vested veteran or rookie doesn’t pass a physical before being released, he receives a waived/injured designation. He goes through waivers and if no other team claims him, he reverts back to his original team injured reserve. Usually in these cases, when it’s not a season-ending injury, the original team later reaches an injury settlement with the player — good for the team, that won’t pay the full salary, and for the player, who will be able to sign with another team to play as soon as possible.
Injured reserve: This is where a new rule has been put in place. Until last year, a player had to make the initial 53-man roster to be placed on IR and be eligible to return later in the season. Now, up to two players can be placed on IR on the day of final cuts (Tuesday) and designated to return after four weeks later. Teams still have the option to carry injured players on the 53-man roster for multiple reasons. First, if a player is placed on IR, he is forced to miss at least four games. Second, if a player makes the initial 53 and is placed on IR on the following day, there are eight designations to return from IR — and other two for playoff teams.
PUP/NFI: If the player didn’t pass the physical to start training camp, the team designate him as physically unable to perform (PUP) if it’s a football-related injury or NFI-list if it’s an injury suffered outside of NFL activities (this includes injuries suffered in college football games, gym, or any other area of life). A player on the NFI-list is not entitled to receive his salary. However, the team and player can negotiate a rate of payment.
Through training camp, players stay on the active PUP/NFI list, so they count towards the 90-man roster limits and can be activated at any point. When the roster is cut from 90 to 53, the team has to activate the player to the roster or to place him on the inactive PUP/NFI. If he’s placed on one of these lists, the player has to miss at least four regular season games, but doesn’t count towards the roster limit.
Other reserve lists: There are other reserve lists that are more or less frequent and with particular rules. Suspended, retired, did not report, military, Commissioner Exempt List. In each case, the player wouldn’t count towards the 53-man roster limit.
Dolphins listed players:
PUP/active: WR Odell Beckham, LB Bradley Chubb, LB Cameron Goode, T Isaiah Wynn.
IR (out for season): LB Cam Brown, C Sean Harlow, LB Grayson Murphy, T Kion Smith, WR Willie Snead, WR Tahj Washington.
Dolphins key position battles and roster bubble:
QB2
Mike White and Skylar Thompson are the options behind Tua Tagovailoa, and no one has clearly established himself above the other. White is more experienced and played well for the New York Jets in 2022, so he might be favored to keep his job.
RB4
Jeff Wilson entered training camp as the running back 4, and he’s been an efficient backup option since he signed with the Dolphins during the 2022 season. However, 2023 undrafted signee Chris Brooks has made a case to be kept around — and last year, he had 6.3 yards per carry in 15 attempts as a rookie, so there’s a valid argument here.
CB6
Siran Neal is the most likely option because of his contributions for special teams — which is particularly important for the sixth cornerback on the roster. But undrafted rookie Storm Duck has been impressive and, due to his low cost and higher ceiling, has a shot at making the team.
