Miami Dolphins Waive OG J. D. Quinn, Deactivate TE Jared Bronson

Chris J. NelsonAug 2, 2009

With draft picks Pat White and Chris Clemons signing contracts on the eve of training camp, the Dolphins needed to clear two spots to get down to the 80-man limit. To that end, the team waived undrafted rookie guard J. D. Quinn and placed undrafted tight end Jared Bronson on the Reserve/Did Not Report list.

A former Oklahoma Sooner who transferred to Montana, Quinn was signed in early May after going undrafted in the 2009 NFL Draft. Bronson was signed with the team's original crop of undrafted rookies out of Central Washington on April 30.

Neither move comes as much of a surprise. The Dolphins have a large number of guards on the roster, and neither Quinn nor Oregon's Mark Lewis had/have much of a chance to make the squad, so it makes sense to let one of them go at this point.

Bronson's specific situation is more unclear without talking to someone with direct knowledge of the situation, but it's not hard to guess what's happened.

Every so often you'll have an undrafted rookie change his mind about pursuing a professional career (because they are an extremely borderline prospect) and just opt to not show up. Virginia Tech nose tackle Kory Robertson did just that after signing with the Dolphins last year.

Bronson will not count toward the team's 80-man roster limit while on the Did Not Report list. The reason for not outright releasing him is to prevent Bronson from "forcing" his way off the roster by not showing up just so he can sign elsewhere.

This way, should he ever change his mind about playing, he can't simply go to another team as Miami still owns his rights.

Roth placed on PUP list

The Dolphins made another transaction today, placing starting outside linebacker Matt Roth on the Active/Physically-Unable-to-Perform list. According to head coach Tony Sparano, Roth failed his conditioning test due to an illness.

On the Active/PUP list, Roth still counts toward the active roster and should be activated in a day or two when he's feeling better and is cleared to practice.