Miami Dolphins Roster 2013: Latest Cuts, Depth Charts and Analysis

The Miami Dolphins have trimmed down their roster to 53 players, and have announced their eight-man practice squad.

The roster moves haven't stopped, though, as the Dolphins continue to sign and waive players as they prepare for the season opener against the Cleveland Browns.

Who made the cut, and who has to find work elsewhere?

Here's an updated look at their latest cuts, their depth chart and the practice squad, along with all the updates throughout the road to the 53-man roster.

List of 53-Man Roster Cuts

The Dolphins announced the following cuts shortly after 9:00 p.m. ET on Saturday:

• Jonas Gray, RB
• Chris Barker, OL
  
• Sam Brenner, OL
  
• Kyle Miller, TE
• Julian Posey, DB
• Chad Bumphis, WR
• Brian Tyms, WR
  
• Tristan Okpalaugo, DT
• Tracey Robertson, DT
• De'Andre Presley, CB
• Austin Spitler, LB
• Lee Robinson, LB
• Kheeston Randall, DT
• Marvin McNutt, WR
• Andrew McDonald, OT
• Jordan Kovacs, S
• Keelan Johnson, S
• A.J. Francis, DT
• Keenan Davis, WR
• Antwan Applewhite, LB
• Jeff Adams, OT (waived, injured)
• Aaron Corp, QB (waived, injured)
• Evan Rodriguez, FB
• Josh Samuda, OG

Final Depth Chart

Now that the Dolphins have officially cut down to 53 players, here is the updated depth chart:

QB: Ryan Tannehill, Matt Moore, Pat Devlin

RB: Lamar Miller, Daniel Thomas, Marcus Thigpen, Mike Gillislee 

FB: Tyler Clutts

TE: Charles Clay, Michael Egnew, Dion Sims

WR: Mike Wallace, Brian Hartline, Brandon Gibson, Rishard Matthews

LT: Jonathan Martin, Will Yeatman 

LG: Richie Incognito, Dallas Thomas 

C: Mike Pouncey

RG: John Jerry, Danny Watkins

RT: Tyson Clabo, Nate Garner

DE: Cameron Wake, Olivier Vernon, Dion Jordan, Derrick Shelby, Vaughn Martin

DT: Paul Soliai, Randy Starks, Jared Odrick

MLB: Dannell Ellerbe

OLB: Philip Wheeler, Koa Misi, Jonathan Freeny, Jason Trusnik, Josh Kaddu, Jelani Jenkins 

CB: Brent Grimes, Dimitri Patterson, Nolan Carroll, Will Davis, R.J. Stanford, Jamar Taylor

FS: Chris Clemons, Jimmy Wilson, Don Jones 

SS: Reshad Jones, Kelcie McCray

K: Caleb Sturgis

P: Brandon Fields

LS: John Denney

Analyzing the Practice Squad

The Dolphins signed the following eight players to the practice squad, as announced by the team:

• De'Andre Presley, DB
• Jordan Kovacs, S
• Sam Brenner, C
• Jason Weaver, OT
• Al Lapuaho, DT
• Brian Tyms, WR
• Kyle Miller, TE
• Marvin McNutt, WR

The Dolphins start the season relatively thin at wide receiver, carrying just four at the moment, but keeping Marvin McNutt on the practice squad gives them a quick option to "call him up" to the 53-man roster if an injury leaves them razor thin at the position.

Safety Jordan Kovacs is no stranger to being turned down by a football team—he faced rejection as a walk-on at Michigan after the team discovered a knee procedure he had in high school.  The Dolphins are set at safety for now, which limited Kovacs' chances at the roster, but Kovacs has special teams value that could get him called up as an extra body in that situation. 

In fact, nearly every player on the practice squad could claim that their position was simply too deep to justify carrying them on the 53-man roster. The Dolphins kept five cornerbacks, five safeties, two centers, four offensive tackles and five wide receivers. 

Defensive tackle Al Lapuaho and tight end Kyle Miller are both one injury away from being called up to the 53-man roster.

Recently Cut Free Agents the Dolphins Are Rumored to Be Pursuing

The Dolphins have signed the following free-agents:

Danny Watkins, OG: The Dolphins signed the former first-round pick, who was released by the Eagles on their way down to a 53-man roster. He is an upgrade in talent over Josh Samuda. That being said, there is some concern over how much he loves the game of football, with CSN Philly's Reuben Frank saying, "I don't think he likes playing the game."

The following players have been claimed by the Dolphins off waivers:

• Tyler Clutts, FB

Starters and Injury Notes

Training camp and the preseason has offered a few interesting storylines for the Dolphins, most notably the chemistry between Ryan Tannehill and his new weapons, Mike Wallace and Brandon Gibson. We've also been closely watching the development of defensive end Dion Jordan and the question marks on the offensive line.

Here's a preview of the potential Week 1 starters.

Projected starters

QB: Ryan Tannehill

RB: Lamar Miller

WR: Mike Wallace, Brian Hartline, Brandon Gibson

TE: Charles Clay

OT: Jonathan Martin, Tyson Clabo

OG: Richie Incognito, John Jerry

C: Mike Pouncey

DE: Cameron Wake, Dion Jordan

DT: Randy Starks, Paul Soliai

OLB: Philip Wheeler, Koa Misi

MLB: Dannell Ellerbe

CB: Brent Grimes, Dimitri Patterson

FS: Chris Clemons

SS: Reshad Jones

K: Caleb Sturgis

P: Brandon Fields

LS: John Denney

Injury notes

Dion Jordan, DE (shoulder): Jordan is currently listed as day-to-day, and although there's some concern he'll miss Week 1, it doesn't sound like many are concerned about his long-term status. Luckily, the Dolphins have seen a few defensive ends emerge this offseason (Olivier Vernon, Derrick Shelby), so one of those two could fill in while Jordan is out.

1st Round of Cuts

The Dolphins waited until the last minute to announce their cuts from an 84-man roster down to 75, and the news came in slightly after  the deadline. Here are the cuts, announced by the Dolphins: 

• Jorvorskie Lane, FB
• Lance Louis, RG
• Michael Clay, LB
• Nathan Williams, LB
• David Hinds, LB
• Jeff Fuller, WR
• Julius Pruitt, WR
• Andrell Smith, WR
• Emeka Onyenekwu, DE

There are two surprise cuts in the group.

The first is Jorvorskie Lane, the Dolphins' only true fullback. Lane played in all 16 games for the Dolphins in his rookie year, and started five games. The position of fullback has lost a lot of value in the modern NFL, and the dolphins figure to be focused more on the passing game this year than they were last year.

Lance Louis is the second name that comes as a surprise. Louis started 11 games for the Chicago Bears in 2012, and has started 28 games in his three-year career. The Dolphins brought him in to provide some depth behind John Jerry and Richie Incognito, but releasing him locks in Jerry as the team's starting right guard. The Dolphins continue their search for a guard that is effective pulling in space, although Incognito has improved in that role since last year.

Depth Chart Post 75-Man Roster Cuts

Now that the roster has been cut to 75 players, here is an updated look at their depth chart.

QB: Ryan Tannehill, Matt Moore, Pat Devlin, Aaron Corp

RB: Lamar Miller, Daniel Thomas, Marcus Thigpen, Jonas Gray, Mike Gillislee

TE: Charles Clay, Michael Egnew, Dion Sims, Kyle Miller

WR: Mike Wallace, Brian Hartline, Brandon Gibson, Chad Bumphis, Rishard Matthews, Brian Tyms, Marvin McNutt, Keenan Davis

LT: Jonathan Martin, Jeff Adams, Will Yeatman

LG: Richie Incognito, Dallas Thomas

C: Mike Pouncey, Josh Samuda, Sam Brenner

RG: John Jerry, Chris Barker

RT: Tyson Clabo, Nate Garner, Andrew McDonald

DE: Cameron Wake, Olivier Vernon, Dion Jordan, Derrick Shelby, Vaughn Martin, Tristan Okpalaugo, Antwan Applewhite

DT: Paul Soliai, Randy Starks, Jared Odrick, Kheeston Randall, A.J. Francis, Tracy Robertson

MLB: Dannell Ellerbe, Austin Spitler, Lee Robinson

OLB: Philip Wheeler, Koa Misi, Jonathan Freeny, Jason Trusnik, Josh Kaddu, Jelani Jenkins 

CB: Brent Grimes, Dimitri Patterson, Nolan Carroll, Will Davis, Julian Posey, R.J. Stanford, Jamar Taylor, De'Andre Presley

FS: Chris Clemons, Jimmy Wilson, Don Jones

SS: Reshad Jones, Kelcie McCray, Keelan Johnson, Jordan Kovacs