Miami Dolphins: Players in Serious Danger of Being Cut Soon

On Aug. 27, the Miami Dolphins will be forced to trim their roster to 75 players.  Just four days later, on Aug. 31, Miami will have to make its final cuts and present its 53-man roster.

We are more than two weeks away from these major events and the Dolphins have not even played their second exhibition game.  Miami will be on the road to face the Jacksonville Jaguars on Aug. 9 at 7:30 pm ET.

Regardless, players will be released before the deadline.  According to Omar Kelly of the Sun Sentinel, Miami waived undrafted rookie Cameron Marshall on August 8.  It is not certain if Marshall was released because of injury, performance or both.

Let's look at other players whose status as a Miami Dolphin is quickly fading.

Daniel Thomas

Last year, HBO's Hard Knocks showed us that Daniel Thomas was in Joe Philbin's doghouse.

Thomas went on to have a putrid, injury-plagued season, rushing for 325 yards on 91 carries in the span of 12 games.  In two seasons (256 attempts), Thomas has averaged 3.5 yards per rush.

After Reggie Bush's departure, Lamar Miller is now expected to get the bulk of the carries in Miami.  Thomas is left to battle fifth-rounder Mike Gillislee and Jonas Gray, not only for carries, but potentially for survival as a Dolphin.

So far, his five-yard performance (four carries) against the Dallas Cowboys has him at the bottom of the totem pole.

Dan Carpenter

Chris Perkins of the Sun Sentinel believes Dan Carpenter has raised the bar for rookie kicker Caleb Sturgis.

Yes, Carpenter has been good this offseason.  The Montana standout continued his roll with two field goals in the first exhibition game of 2013, which included a 45-yarder.

The bad news is that Sturgis is over his groin injury and kicking long field goals with ease, according to Omar Kelly of the Sun Sentinel.

If Sturgis has a good performance in Miami's second exhibition game against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Carpenter's coffin will be shut.

Carpenter may be traded, but his $2.675 million salary in 2013 will be a hurdle.

Jorvorskie Lane

Jorvorskie Lane's days would have been numbered if Vonta Leach had signed with the Miami Dolphins.  Ironically, even without Leach, Lane is still fighting for his football life.

Omar Kelly of the Sun Sentinel reported that Charles Clay was the starting fullback on Day 12 of Miami's training camp and that Lane was "on the hotseat."  On Day 13, Kelly assumed that Lane was injured because he was not practicing.

Clay is going to make the 53-man roster because of his versatility as a pass-catcher who can line up as a tight end.

If Miami decides to keep a second fullback, the forgotten Evan Rodriguez will be formidable competition for Lane.  The former fourth-round selection for the Chicago Bears looked good against Dallas, according to Kelly, and may gain steam in the second exhibition game.

If Lane is battling an injury, he may not make it back in time.

Marvin McNutt

Marvin McNutt started the first exhibition for the Miami Dolphins but made no receptions.  Ryan Tannehill threw two passes his way and McNutt dropped one he should have caught.

McNutt's woes continued on Day 12 of training camp, according to Omar Kelly of the Sun Sentinel.  Kelly claimed that McNutt was "dropping plenty passes lately."

The Iowa product continued to drop passes on Day 13, causing Kelly to state, "He's really dropping the ball lately, literally and figuratively."

If he is not already out of contention, anything but a stellar performance in Jacksonville will have McNutt looking for a job.

Julius Pruitt

Julius Pruitt did not make Miami's 53-man roster last year when the Dolphins were starving for receivers.  This does not bode well for the new addition to Miami's training camp.

Pruitt knows Miami's system and is a special teams standout, according to Chris Perkins of the Sun Sentinel.

According to Omar Kelly of the Sun Sentinel, Pruitt did not participate in Day 13 of training camp because of an injury and is not expected to play against Jacksonville.

Already at the bottom of the Dolphins' depth chart, if Pruitt does not play in Miami's second exhibition game, he's as good as gone.