The Dolphins continued their roster makeover Sunday with a series of moves that included trades, waiver pick-ups and the release of players to make space.
The latest move involved acquiring linebacker Vince Biegel in a trade with the New Orleans Saints for linebacker Kiko Alonso. Biegel will join former fellow University of Wisconsin alum Andrew Van Ginkel in the Dolphins linebacker corps, though the two never played together for the Badgers, Biegel's last season at UW coming in 2016 and Van Ginkel's first in 2017.
Earlier in the day, the Dolphins made official the blockbuster trade with the Houston Texans that gave Miami two first-round picks, a second-round selection, as well as tackle Julien Davenport and cornerback Johnson Bademosi in exchange for Laremy Tunsil, Kenny Stills and two third-day picks (one in 2020 and one in 2021).
The five players claimed off waivers all were on the defensive side of the ball: LB Trent Harris and CB Ken Webster from New England; LB Deon Lacey from Buffalo; DE Avery Moss from the New York Giants; and S Steven Parker from the Los Angeles Rams.
To make room on the roster, the Dolphins released five players who had made the initial 53-man roster, including rookie free agents Chris Myarick, Terrill Hanks and Montre Hartage. The other two were tackle Zach Sterup and defensive tackle Adolphus Washington.
After the moves Sunday, the Dolphins' 53-man roster looked like this:
- Quarterbacks (2): Ryan Fitzpatrick, Josh Rosen
- Running backs (6): Kalen Ballage, Kenyan Drake, Mark Walton, Chandler Cox, Myles Gaskin, Patrick Laird
- Wide receivers (5): DeVante Parker, Albert Wilson, Jakeem Grant, Preston Williams, Allen Hurns
- Tight ends (3): Nick O'Leary, Mike Gesicki, Durham Smythe
- Offensive linemen (9): Jesse Davis, Michael Deiter, Daniel Kilgore, Shaq Calhoun, Chris Reed, Evan Boehm, Danny Isidora, Julien Davenport, Isaiah Prince
- Defensive linemen (7): Davon Godchaux, Vincent Taylor, Christian Wilkins, Charles Harris, Nate Orchard, Avery Moss, Jonathan Ledbetter
- Linebackers (7): Jerome Baker, Raekwon McMillan, Andrew Van Ginkel, Sam Eguavoen, Deon Lacey, Trent Harris, Vince Biegel
- Defensive backs (11): Xavien Howard, Eric Rowe, Reshad Jones, Bobby McCain, Minkah Fitzpatrick, Chris Lammons, Jomal Wiltz, Walt Aikens, Johnson Bademosi, Ken Webster, Steven Parker
- Specialists (3): John Denney, Jason Sanders, Matt Haack
Free to sign anywhere
None of the Dolphins players released Saturday who were eligible were claimed off waivers by another team, making free to sign with any team.
The agent for cornerback Cornell Armstrong tweeted that Armstrong was signing a two-year deal with the Houston Texans.
Practice squad
The Dolphins, along with every team in the NFL, were allowed to start putting together their practice squad at 1 p.m. Sunday.
Each team is allowed 10 players on their practice squad, though the Dolphins could get an exception for Brazilian prospect Durval Queiroz Neto because he's part of the NFL's International Player Pathway Program.
The Dolphins had not announced their practice squad as of 4 p.m. Sunday, though the agent for quarterback Jake Rudock tweeted that his client would be part of it.
Birthday wishes
Two of the greatest defensive players in Dolphins history celebrated their birthday Sunday: Hall of Fame defensive end Jason Taylor and eight-time Pro Bowl linebacker Zach Thomas.
Taylor, who was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2018, was born Sept. 1, 1974.
Thomas was born Sept. 1, 1973.
