MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. – The Miami Dolphins today announced they have signed wide receiver Ricardo Louis and placed defensive tackle Ray Smith on the reserve/retired list. The team also activated defensive tackle Raekwon Davis, defensive tackle Benito Jones, guard Solomon Kindley and wide receiver Kirk Merritt off the reserve/COVID-19* list.
Louis originally joined the Dolphins on April 8, 2019 but was on injured reserve for the entire 2019 season. He was waived by the Dolphins on July 25, 2020. Louis played all 32 games with 12 starts in the first two years of his NFL career (2016-17), both with Cleveland. He totaled 45 receptions for 562 yards (12.5 avg.) before missing the 2018 season due to injury. He originally entered the NFL as a fourth-round pick (114th overall) by Cleveland in the 2016 NFL draft. Louis is a Miami native, attending Miami Beach Senior High School and the University of Miami.
Smith was awarded off waivers to Miami on July 29, 2020. He spent the offseason with San Francisco after spending stints on Detroit and San Francisco's practice squads in 2019. He originally entered the NFL as an undrafted college free agent with Detroit on May 10, 2019. Smith was a four-year letterman (2015-18) at Boston College, where he played in 39 career games and totaled 137 tackles (53 solo), 1.5 sacks, one interception and eight passes defensed.
Davis was one of Miami's second-round picks (56th overall) in the 2020 NFL draft. A four-year letterman (2016-19) and three-year starter at Alabama, Davis earned second-team All-American honors as a senior in 2019. He played in 48 career games with 32 starts, totaling 175 tackles (67 solo), 11.5 sacks, one interception, one pass defensed, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery.
Jones was signed by the Dolphins as an undrafted college free agent on April 29, 2020. He was a four-year letterman (2016-19) and three-year starter at Mississippi. Jones played in all 48 games of his collegiate career with 36 starts. As a senior in 2019, he totaled 30 tackles (19 solo) and 5.5 sacks, earning second-team All-SEC honors.
Kindley was Miami's fourth-round pick (111th overall) in the 2020 NFL draft. He was a four-year letterman (2016-19) and three-year starter at Georgia. Kindley played in 43 career games with 32 starts – 25 at left guard and seven at right guard. He earned Freshman All-SEC honors in 2017.
Merritt was signed by Miami as an undrafted college free agent on April 29, 2020. He was a two-year starter at Arkansas State, where he earned first-team All-Sun Belt honors as a senior in 2019. Last year, Merritt started all 13 games and caught 70 passes for 806 yards (11.5 avg.) and 12 touchdowns. He also had a kickoff return touchdown. Merritt was named the Sun Belt Conference Newcomer of the Year in 2018.
*This new reserve list category was created for a player who either tests positive for COVID-19 or who has been quarantined after having been in close contact with an infected person or persons. If a player falls into either of these categories, their club is required to immediately place the player on the reserve/COVID-19 list. Per agreed upon NFL-NFLPA policy, clubs are not permitted to comment on a player's medical status other than referring to roster status. Clubs may not disclose whether a player is in quarantine or is positive for COVID-19.
