Miami Dolphins turn to free agent pool for WR replacement

The Miami Dolphins lost DeVante Parker for an unspecified period of time and Jakeem Grant for the same. They decided to go outside to find help.

On Wednesday the Miami Dolphins made the decision to add former Dallas Cowboys receiver Brice Butler to add depth to their wide-receiver unit instead of looking internally for a fill in. The question that was being asked on social media was why?

Butler is a former 7th round pick in 2013 selected by the Oakland Raiders where he spent two seasons. He was traded to the Cowboys, released by the Cowboys, signed by the Cardinals, waived before the start of the season and re-signed by Dallas. After the Cowboys traded for Amari Cooper, Butler was released again. Now he is with Miami.

The move isn’t really a big deal but social media was asking why the Dolphins were not looking at practice squad players like Isaiah Ford or Malcolm Lewis. Both showed a lot of positives in training camp.

One reason could be the possibility that Butler will only be a fill in for a week or two and will likely be released once Grant and/or Parker return. The Dolphins would have to sign Lewis or Ford and potentially have to release them and then hope they are not claimed off waivers. While teams can still poach players off practice squads, the team holding the player has the right to move them to the active roster instead of losing them. If released from the active roster teams have to wait until they clear waivers.

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That of course is only speculation however in terms of why Miami went outside to find help. With two weeks before the Dolphins play again, kicking the tires on Butler for what could be a two-week tryout isn’t a bad idea.

Butler is 6’3″ and has 73 receptions for 1,177 yards in his career. If he does stay with the Dolphins he should have plenty of opportunities to get on the field. The Dolphins were very thin at the position with only Danny Amendola, Leonte Carroo, and Kenny Stills healthy.

The Dolphins released defensive lineman Cameron Malveaux to make room for Butler. Malveaux now appears on the teams practice squad list.

The Dolphins next game is two Sunday’s from now when they face the Indianapolis Colts.