Dolphins roster moves and what they mean

The Dolphins have announced the roster moves which got them to the mandated 53 man roster:

WAIVED: CB Vincent Agnew, TE Brett Brackett, WR Patrick Carter, G Garrett Chisolm, QB Pat Devlin, TE Dedrick Epps, LB Jonathan Freeny, RB Nic Grigsby, T D.J. Jones, T Matt Kopa, WR Phillip Livas, WR John Matthews, CB Nate Ness, LB David Nixon, QB Kevin O’ Connell, WR Julius Pruitt, S Mark Restelli, LB Robert Rose, TE Mickey Shuler, LB Quinton Spears.

CONTRACTS TERMINATED: S Gerald Alexander, CB Will Allen, NT Ronald Fields, RB Larry Johnson, FB Lousaka Polite,T Ray Willis.

PLACED ON INJURED RESERVE: T Lydon Murtha. A source tells me Murtha suffered a torn ligament in a toe.

WHAT IT MEANS: The Dolphins are at 53 players and some that made it today might not be on the team in a couple of days. The Dolphins are right now searching for a No. 3 QB -- which, by the way, may be a kid added to the practice squad. They have six WRs on the roster so that might be a position where movement yet happens. The club kept six DEs but only three RBs. All this raises questions and makes it clear this team is not complete.

The Dolphins kept Jeron Mastrud over Shuler. Also, John Jerry, a disappointment this camp, makes the team anyway. I suppose the draft pick investment in Jerry from a year ago -- a third rounder -- and the fact he's so young has saved him.

The Dolphins kept 10 linebackers -- five inside linebackers and five outside linebackers.

The Dolphins kept none of their undrafted rookie free agents.

It seems that rookie Frank Kearse beat out the veteran Fields for the backup NT job. That is not quite right, in my opinion. Fields is better than Kearse today. But the Dolphins can always move Randy Starks to NT if starter Paul Soliai is injured for any significant amount of time. So in fact, it seems Fields was not able to beat out Starks for the backup job. Kearse is a project but he's shown flashes and he's a fighter.

By the way, Chester Taylor was cut today by the Chicago Bears. Brandon Meriweather was cut by the New England Patriots. Because both have at least four seasons of experience, they become unrestricted free agents right away. They do not go on the waiver wire to be picked up by whichever team claims them. I hope the Dolphins are on the phone with somebody right now!

The biggest surprise of all this news has to be the cutting of Polite. Tony Sparano gushed about Polite and talked of how you couldn't find legit FBs in today's NFL anymore. He said Polite was one of those valuable guys and said how it would take a lot to convince him Polite had to go.

Well, he got convinced. I do know this, Polite was one of the top 53 on this team. He was a good locker room guy, also. Obviously, the Dolphins found reasons that overcame those assets. He was expensive in that he was going to cost $1.45 million against the cap. The Dolphins save $1.35 million by cutting him. This was the final year of his contract.

I suppose it is possible Polite is signed after the first week of the season at a discount and also without a guarantee for the entire year. But I also think other teams might show some interest in him.

Finally, I cannot stress enough that this does not end the moving and shaking of the Dolphins roster. This is mediocre team by most accounts. It has much work yet to do to be among the NFL's elite. I assume the front office is busy doing some of that work as we speak.

Please follow me on twitter.

Comments

[DC Dolfan]

budtki, you're going a little overboard with Polite. Quick question, how many TDs did Polite have with the Dolphins? 1, maybe 2. I rest my case.

[DC Dolfan]

Best move Miami made, keeping 6 WRs. If they got rid of Marlon Moore, THAT would have been a huge mistake. Between Moore and Polite I'd take Moore everyday and twice on Sunday. Marlon Moore WILL score TDs. Polite will get you a tough yard. Which would you rather have?

[dm1dolphan]

if marvin mitchell sticks, which i believe he will, he will probably end up 2nd on the depth charts behind dansby before too long. i can't believe spitler made the cut. he had a mediocre preseason, at best, and was run over by backs several times; the latest being by dallas back demarco murray. yeah, he played with blood on his face thursday and looked tough because of it but he was anything but.

[DC Dolfan]

dm, I was surprised at Spitler too. And I agree with Mitchell, looks like the real deal. I think we kept Spitler for depth. Dolphins still have thoughts of Crowder, so probably think they need all those LBs. Also, Spitler fits their "prototypical size" outlook. I wish they'd move away from that (and they're starting too) but bad habits are hard to change.

[Felix]

Here it comes the Dolphins arecgoing to bring back Josh McCown back for that needed 3rd string QB position...just so he can hold a clipboard!

[dusty bottoms]

releasing pollitte is such a joke and shows just how bad this regime is. taylor,morris,merriweather would all be great apick ups. lets see if our retarded regime can even figure that out

[dm1dolphan]

DC,
gotta agree with your assessment. fullback is dead. polite couldn't block to save his life. as a lead blocker he rarely did anything to allow our backs to get thru the line to the 2nd level. as a short yardage back he would get 1 yd and and inch on third and one. nothing more. yeah, it's enough for the first but he was never capable of getting any more yards or breaking one for another 8 to 10 yds.
guys like charles clay, with his skill set, are the type of players this league is finding more valuable. clay can play multiple positions. when you have clay in the game the defense can't necessarily key on anything. with polite in the game the defense has a better idea of what is going to happen because he couldn't do too much.
polite may end up on another team but i don't know what he would do there other than maybe special teams.

[DC Dolfan]

What I'm excited about is at the very least, we'll see something different this year. If Miami loses, we'll lose differently. We won't bring a knife to a gunfight anymore. That's what has KILLED fan appreciation. We've seen this slow, prodding offense for years and years and years. While these sleek, quick offenses just hammer us. At least this year we'll try to ramp up to their speed. And that's the best news this long time fan could hear. I'm excited about Henne (who would have thunk I'd actually be saying that after last year). No, I'm not envisioning him being Aaron Rodgers, but I'm also not envisioning him being Henne 2010. And most of that is due to the new philosophy on offense. I never thought I'd be thankful to have Brian Daboll. But I am, and I ain't ashamed to say it.

[dusty bottoms]

u wont be for long dc, so dont feel bad. we all long for january when this franchise can start to turn around

[ncfinfan70]

what's the deal with these cats who are awake at 4 in the morning in some sort of pissing match on this blog about nothing? while the rest of us do things like eat, sleep, watch football, have sex, check out players whom other teams have cut (acorn search), those brave few remain locked to their computers, having strange battles with other pseudononymous posters. I find that as bizarre as the Fins cutting Larry Johnson, assuming Bush will stay healthy as an every down back, but releasing W. Allen. I don't get it.

[DC Dolfan]

everyone should read dm's post @ 9:24am, THAT'S THE TRUTH.

Dusty, agree with Merriweather and Morris (to give us some veteran depth at RB). But, we messed up not looking into Waters. Yeah, he's old, but he's a ProBowler. He'd be better than Carey, and then move Carey back to RT, and use Colombo as a backup, that's all he's really good for anyway. That was a mistake IMHO. Pats will show us once again they are quicker to the draw than we are.

[ncfinfan70]

It is cool to see both Mar. Moore and Wallace still on the squad. I can't imagine we'll be able to keep six receivers for long. We need 2 or 3 new olinemen.

[DC Dolfan]

dusty, if we suck this year, you're right, we'll be on to a new FO come January. So, if this FO is a mistake, it will be quickly fixed in the offseason.

[dusty bottoms]

cant wait

[Holden]

I've read on this blog easily 3 times now that we got Ginn in return for Welker. People should realize just because a blogger blogs something, doesn't mean its true. With internet searches, you can find answers often in less than 30 seconds. We traded Welker for a #2 pick and got Satele. Just clarifying.

[dm1dolphan]

dc,
again, agree with the sentiment. i've seen too many times on here where others have said they should have kept ronnie and ricky and then there's comments on not wanting the team to be the same old, same old. well, if they kept ronnie and ricky it would have been more of the same old, same old. you have to break the mold. bush is quicker and faster than either one of those guys. he can run between the tackles or get to the perimeter and he has an explosive first step when he catches the ball. that's something this team lacked with ronnie and ricky. he is going to be a tough match up for a lot of the teams miami plays against this year.
secondly, you have to be excited about the overall team speed both on offense and on defense but, especially on offense. besides bush having gates as a receiver to take the top of the secondary is going to clear out the underneath routes for guys like marshall and bess. marshall even increased his speed for this year. all in all, if you're a fan, you've got to be excited about seeing what this team does this year. i believe they get stronger as the season goes along. so, when the playoffs hit LOOK OUT!

[greg z.]

sure wish ireland would have gotten waived by ross!

[DC Dolfan]

lol dusty. Don't worry, it's only 16 weeks, pretty short season. But I feel your pain. That was me pretty much every year this last decade. Call me naive, but I have a bit more optimism this year. But most of it is me being realistic. I don't realistically think we'll win the AFC East, or probably go to the Playoffs. I think we're a bubble team when it comes to making the Playoffs. But at least we're a bubble. Now it's on execution. If the team can execute, it could be a fun ride. If not, then on to the next!!

[ranks]

yea, I think Maimi will have the number 1 or 2 best defence this year, that gaurantee a playoff spot. Henne is going to prove people wrong this year. Go Dolohins!!!!!

[ranks]

yea, I think Maimi will have the number 1 or 2 best defence this year, that gaurantee a playoff spot. Henne is going to prove people wrong this year. Go Dolohins!!!!!

[dm1dolphan]

i'm not saying ireland hasn't made mistakes during his tenure with this team but the way it is taking shape you've got to see that he is doing a really good job of assembling the talent this team needs to be a perennial contender. if you look at the FA acquisitions of guys like dansby, burnett and bush and bringing in coaches like mike nolan to put together a top five defense he's done a good job. so, you can hope for his demise as much as you want but it's not going to happen. this team will compete very well this year regardless of what the so called experts think. guys like peter king have been wrong more than they are right.

[DC Dolfan]

We're seeing on this blog the honest truth about the Dolphins. They are very hard to pinpoint. You've got optimistic guys like dm and me due to the changes made, and pessimistic guys like dusty and greg z who feel it's too little too late (not trying to put words in your mouth guys).

Unfortunately, that's just where we are. No one knows what will happen. We've been so pitiful these last many years, it's hard to say which team will emerge, the team Sparano pumped up in that speech, or the flat Dolphins we saw in Dec 2010.

I'm not mad at dusty/greg z and fans who are pessimistic. They have every right to be. Miami will have to walk the walk before any of us can really be sure about what we're saying. We need to see it on the field.

[DC Dolfan]

dm, I was REALLY impressed with Burnett this Preseason. He's all over the field, makes lots of plays, great compliment to Dansby. kris blasted me for defending Crowder a while back. Ultimately, I'm predicting he will be proven right (if he hasn't already), not necessarily that Crowder sucks, but more so that there was a lot better out there, and Burnett will end up being much better than Crowder.

[Holden]

Just guessing more than anything it was Dabol deeming Polite not valuable enough for his new offense. Not a big deal.

[dm1dolphan]

well said, dc. you make some good points. i'm optimistic about the direction in which the team is being taken. adding speed to key positions, making acquisitions of players at key positions thru FA, bringing in coaches to help on the offensive side and defensive side. at least they are trying to put together a contender rather than sitting on their hands. had they put on blinders and kept henning as the OC and did nothing to upgrade the linebacker, rb and wr positions you could say it was more of the same. the o-line still being the big ? is probably going to get addressed sometime in the near future. i'd be surprised if it wasn't. overall, the team is making choices that will allow it to compete. you can argue all you want about who they should have taken in the draft and the fact that o'hara is still out there and could be brought in at center but, when you have a plan, you need to stick to it. you can't keep changing it every five minutes. you need to be flexible but you can't scrap it in favor of something completely different. i look at what ireland has done in the past two seasons and i'm thinking even belichek is impressed with what this team has added to it to get better.

[carlos]

Polite? are you kidding me? where do i aply for a job with the fins, i promise to do a better job.

[dm1dolphan]

polite may have "gotten in the way" of a defender on some running plays but he was no daryl johnston.

[oscar canosa]

Of course. We have always worked together.

[DC Dolfan]

"polite may have "gotten in the way" of a defender..."

Classic!

[dm1dolphan]

before we get too far into the season i would be surprised if ireland didn't bring in someone on the o-line and at te. mastrud was kept as the lesser of three evils, in my opinion, because he was the only te that showed up on the radar in the preseason games other than fasano. as far as the o-line is concerned i feel ireland realizes that he needs more depth at the left tackle and right tackle positions in order to survivie the season. murtha was a big loss and garner didn't show up for the games. if colombo goes down you'll need to keep your fingers crossed that the light goes on for garner.

[dusty bottoms]

be funny the first 3rd and 1 play and they blast bush or clay up the middle for a 2 yard loss. and lose the bias, no way will miami have the number 1 or 2 defense this year.

[dm1dolphan]

it's sad when you think that the offense had to be so bad last year that fans cheered for polite when he gained a yard.

[123456]

Just guessing

[dusty bottoms]

our oline is a mess. probaly top 5 worst in the nfl

[Me Too]

Just guessing

[Chris in the 623]

I can't wrap my head around how the team will be this year. So many changes to the offense. Yet change takes time and the plodding offensive philosophy of past years may be hard to shake. It's what Sparano believes in at his core. Every team wants to be dynamic offensively but few can pull it off. Count me in the cautiously optimistic group. Really excited to see Bush in the open field, Gates behind the defense and the "new" Henne. If the defense can get off the field on 3rd down this year they could be top 5. Think the dynamic duo reacted and made a lot of positive moves but there's still a little voice in the back of my head saying that fool me once thing about Henne. We shall see in one week plus.

Did TS announce who will be the #2 WR?

[dm1dolphan]

i think too many are placing emphasis on polite's ability to make the one yard on short yardage situations. they used him that way because (1) henning didn't know what else to do and, (2) they didn't have much else in the way of options.
with daboll as the new OC short yardage plays will become screens to a back or a bomb to a receiver. who cares about a fullback picking up a yard when you can pick up more with a guy like bush or gates. don't expect the same old plays on offense in these situations. i'd be VERY surprised if they did that.

[dm1dolphan]

i would think hartline still has the #2 position but he's going to need to show he's worthy of it this year. he's a vet and he's done a good job but with the emergence of guys like wallace and moore and the addition of gates he will be pushed for the starting position. that's a good thing.

[dusty bottoms]

there is no new henne. guy still sucks and will throw awful ints. thats why this team is still no good

[dusty bottoms]

who craes? well we do cause it picked up a first down basically every time. u start throwing it and u will punt half the time

[zonk-39]

Polite was a $ move and will be a HUGE Mistake first Time it is 3rd and 1....

[Chris in the 623]

I think you're right about Hartline at #2 and Bess in the slot. Just hope they don't shove Gates back to #5 or #6 in an effort to bring him along slowly and then have him inactive half the time like Wallace and Moore. The guy was living behind the defense in the preseason and the duo doesn't have the time in my opinion to bring anyone along slowly.

[johnsdolphins]

040558

[dusty bottoms]

living behind the defense? when?? and what did it do for us? gates is the number 6 guy and should be

[dm1dolphan]

dusty,
you've got to change the paradigm. running for a first down every time you have that type of situation doesn't keep the defense off balance or on their heels. everyone complained about henning not taking chances last year with the offense. you need to take chances. if you pass on third and short, yeah, you take a chance you won't complete the pass but you give your team a greater chance of turning it into a big play. if you have enough confidence in your offense to pull it off then you balance the risk and reward. third and one is a perfect time to catch the defense off guard and send gates flying down the field. if it's the same old same old you're not going to compete with the best.

[dusty bottoms]

thats the problem dm1, we dont have enough confidence in henne cause he sucks

[dusty bottoms]

its just funny to watch some fans in here get excited about devlin or awful larry johnson when we sign them. even though we told them they wouldnt make the team.

[dusty bottoms]

as far as our defense goes we are stacked on the dl and lbs. but our secondary is not good at all, and i was hoiping allen would return to form but no go there. so pats and jets will still be able to throw all over us deep in the secondary. love davis, but the rest suck. call merriweather!

[Chris in the 623]

I'm also interested to see who they bring in as a 3rd QB. Not that it will have any impact on the season.

[dm1dolphan]

zonk,
i don't believe that for one second. thomas is a big back who has power, is a down hill runner and, despite the fact he is a rookie, has a lot of upside. polite had no upside. he reached his potential as a fullback and there was nothing else there.
i don't expect this offense under daboll to play it conservative so, although i do expect they will choose to run in short yardage situations when it is warranted, i also believe daboll will give the defenses something else to think about so they can't key on the back in those situations. that would be a better philosolphy and it gets rid of the old thinking henning brought to the team.

[Fin'FanSince4Ever]

Looking at this thing in hindsight, maybe it came down to Hilliard and Polite, moreso than Hilliard and Johnson.

Or, maybe it was Polite and Johnson, vs Hilliard.

If ya'll go back and look at that Johnson TD run, Lex had two key blocks on that run, He cleaned up the crackback that the motioning WR whiffed on, and, He led up on the CB creating a better lane for Johnson down the sidelines. Maybe Hilliard had a better camp than we thought...

[dusty bottoms]

dm1 its a bad football team no matter how u slice it until henne is long gone

[dusty bottoms]

johnson never had a shot, guy is awful

[socalfin19723]

I'll tell what this roster move means,
another 7-9 season 8-8 at best if we don't find a RB that can run between the tackles,thats what these moves mean.

[dusty bottoms]

yes socal, same old story. least this will finally be the last year of this nightmare regime

[socalfin19723]

D.Bottoms, I sure hope your right,but more so I hope Im wrong.

[Fin'FanSince4Ever]

I don't know if the Dolphins are still in the RB business, but GB cut Brandon Saine, I recall we were looking at Him as an UDFA...

[dusty bottoms]

chester taylor or morris should be the pickup. and merriweather is a no brainer, hes from here and pissed off at pats

[socalfin19723]

Merriweather without question would bring a load of respect to the defensive backfield.

[Dragonfly13]

Different yr, same ole stuff. We bring 90 folks to camp and cant find a top 53.