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The Miami Dolphins spent Friday not making the roster cuts needed to get down the NFL's 53-man roster limit before today's 6pm ET deadline. At some point today, all 22 players' names will be announced, and we will know what 53 men the Dolphins are taking to the regular season (unless it changes). While other teams made their cuts yesterday, the Dolphins have been silent. So, why the wait?
It really comes down to one simple reason. The Dolphins are not sure that the 75 players they have on their roster right now are the 75 players that they have to consider in the cuts. There are too many options right now for the Dolphins to rush their choice.
This time of year, General Manager Jeff Ireland is constantly on the phone, looking for a way to trade for someone to make the roster better. Every year since Ireland joined the Dolphins, the team has made a trade just before the start of the regular season. Will this year keep that streak alive? If it doesn't continue, it probably is not for lack of effort on Ireland's part.
The Dolphins are already scouring the waiver wire. All along the roster, the team could be considering players released yesterday in how they make decisions today. Just don't expect it to be at the tight end position. According to the Miami Herald's Adam H. Beasley, the Dolphins are expected to take the group of tight ends they currently have (Charles Clay, Dion Sims, Michael Egnew, and Kyle Miller) into the season.
That doesn't mean there aren't potential targets floating around out there right now. The New England Patriots released Jake Ballard and Daniel Fells, while the Cleveland Browns released Dan Gronkowski, yesterday. The Philadelphia Eagles and Green Bay Packers also seem to have more tight ends than they can use, and could release some salvageable tight ends. If not, maybe those Ireland phone calls can work out a deal.
Of course, the Dolphins could also simply be waiting to release the players because yesterday was a day off, and they are waiting for everyone to come back to the team facilities. Whatever the reason, some time today, we will have the answer.
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