Predicting Miami Dolphins' First Wave of Roster Cuts
The first wave of roster cuts is not as easy as you think—not for the Miami Dolphins or any other team.
It may seem as easy as cutting the worst players on the roster, but the truth is there's a balancing act here. The Dolphins must retain enough players at specific positions to ensure that they have enough depth at those positions to get them through the rest of training camp and the preseason.
Injuries don't just stop in the summer and start in the fall. If a key running back is injured this summer, the burden falls on the other running backs to absorb the repetitions he was getting in practice—whether it's in the starting lineup or on the third string.
Of course, there's always the possibility of adding a player back to the roster after he's been cut if there's a need at his position, but once a player's been cut, he's free to sign with any team. Here is a rundown of the five players who are most likely to be sent packing in the first wave of cuts.
DT Calvin Barnett
1 of 5
Calvin Barnett is in an unenviable spot. The former undrafted free agent signed with the Miami Dolphins just two days before training camp, meaning he has quite a bit of catching up to do if he wants to keep pace with the other players on the roster.
At the same time, he's also facing an uphill battle in competing for a roster spot at what is one of the more loaded spots on the Dolphins roster. There are currently eight defensive tackles vying for jobs, and there will probably only be five of those players left when the final ax comes down before the regular season begins.
He earned some unprompted praise from Cleveland Browns defensive coordinator Jim O'Neill, but it wasn't enough to land him on the final roster. He was in an uncomfortable setting in a 3-4 defense, and now back in a 4-3, things should be more familiar to him.
But unless he can find a way to beat out Deandre Coleman, A.J. Francis and Anthony Johnson, he's unlikely to make the final cut.
QB McLeod Bethel-Thompson
2 of 5
Right now, the Dolphins have four quarterbacks on the roster. We know head coach Joe Philbin loves his quarterbacks, but there are only so many reps to go around, and it is almost impossible to give four passers all the attention they need.
MBT has bounced around from one practice squad to another over the past four seasons, but has only been on the 53-man roster twice—both times with the Minnesota Vikings. He hasn't been able to crack the roster in two previous tries with the Dolphins, and it appears unlikely he'll do so again in 2015. The Dolphins already have two capable backups behind Ryan Tannehill in Matt Moore and Josh Freeman.
It would be difficult to justify carrying three quarterbacks on the roster, but four is a huge stretch. There's still hope that he could be put on the practice squad, since he still has eligibility, but those spots are also valuable.
WR Damarr Aultman
3 of 5
The Dolphins loaded up the wide receiver position with more talent than they could possibly ever find a spot for on the roster. That means there just isn't a whole lot of room for Cinderella stories to make the final cut.
University of Maine wide receiver Damarr Aultman has been regarded as a sleeper before training camp, but it was third-year veteran Michael Preston who was the most impressive underdog, according to Alain Poupart of MiamiDolphins.com.
Granted, these are just the early days of training camp, but everything will be under a microscope in a battle that's already set to be very deep—four of the roster spots are already accounted for by Greg Jennings, DeVante Parker, Kenny Stills and Jarvis Landry.
If there's one hope Aultman has of making the roster, it's his ability on kickoff returns. He had two kickoff returns for touchdowns in his career at Maine, and had 53 kickoff returns for 1,270 yards (24 yards per return) over his final two years in college. That being said, while the kickoff return role is up for grabs, it likely belongs to incumbent Jarvis Landry.
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S Jordan Kovacs
4 of 5
The Dolphins have seven talented safeties, and they can't keep all of them. Jordan Kovacs has a chance to push for a roster spot due to his special teams ability, but he could be one of the first to go.
Walt Aikens has special teams experience of his own, and now that he's been moved from cornerback to safety, he needs as much experience as possible at his new position before the season begins. That experience could come at the expense of Kovacs, a third-year safety who has appeared in 17 games and is no longer eligible for the practice squad.
Unless Kovacs makes waves at safety instead of only appearing on special teams, as has been his role in the past two seasons, the curtain could be coming down on his career with the Dolphins.
OG Jacques McClendon
5 of 5
The Dolphins still have some question marks on the offensive line—mainly, who will be their two starting guards—but just because they need answers doesn't mean they need to hang onto everyone.
It would make sense for offensive lineman Jacques McClendon to be one of the first names off the roster. McClendon has played five seasons in the NFL, putting him well outside the range of practice-squad eligibility.
He's competing with a whole host of younger offensive linemen in Billy Turner, Dallas Thomas and Jamil Douglas for the starting spots at guard. His prospects at center are just as bad or worse, with Mike Pouncey already locked in as a starter and J.D. Walton as his backup. The Jacksonville Jaguars offense as a whole was bad in 2014, but as its center and right guard, McClendon earned a negative-13.1 grade from Pro Football Focus.
The Dolphins have too many young options with too much upside to hang onto McClendon, who they could cut at no penalty whatsoever.
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