Dolphins officially activate Tua; Ford and Merritt elevated to 53-man roster

The Miami Dolphins made it official today when the team activated quarterback Tua Tagovailoa to the 53-man roster.

This move almost confirms he will be the starting Q.B. vs. the Jacksonville Jaguars tomorrow at Tottenham Stadium. However, Tua is listed as ‘questionable,’ so as the great Stone Cold Steve Austin once said, “Don’t Trust Anyone.”

(The Palm Beach Post’s Joe Schad was the first to report the news, FWIW)

Tagovailoa wasn’t the only move the Dolphins made Saturday morning.

With DeVante Parker out for Sunday’s game and the questionable tag looming over the unicorn Preston Williams’ head, the team made a duo of roster moves—elevating two pass catchers for tomorrow’s game.

Isaiah ford and Kirk Merritt were both promoted to the 53-man roster, according to the team. However, their usage is uncertain and will be interesting to watch in tomorrow’s game.

The boomerang Isaiah Ford has made some plays in the past for this team. But at this point, we have a pretty good understanding of what type of player he can be. The actual wild card and someone fans have been gushing over for the last several months is Merritt.

Merritt signed with the team as an undrafted free agent in 2020. He was elevated to the active roster twice last season (Arizona/Buffalo) but only played seven total snaps vs. the Cardinals. All of those snaps were on special teams.

However, Merritt did flash in college and had two touchdown grabs (both from Reid Sinnett) back in the preseason.

Will this be a similar situation to last season, where he’s only a special teams presence? Or is Miami’s receiving corps in desperate need of a spark. So desperate that the team called on their second-year wide receiver AND #FordGangGang to help lift this offense?

Whatever the reason, Tua Tagovailoa returning to a must-win game with the Island of Misfit Toys at wide receiver is must-see television. I’m excited and hope this is the beginning of a very long winning streak.

One. More. Sleep.

How are you feeling ahead of tomorrow’s game vs. the Jaguars? Do you think Tua Tagovailoa will be the spark the Dolphins’ offense needs? How do you see Isaiah Ford and Kirk Merritt impacting the game? Let us know in the comments section bP.S.!

P.S. I hope you have a great Saturday. #FinsUp!