Breaking: Miami Dolphins cut safety T.J. McDonald in first surprise

The Miami Dolphins are not waiting until next weekend to make cuts, they released veteran safety T.J. McDonald according to multiple reports.

According to Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald and others, the Miami Dolphins have released safety T.J. McDonald. At least now we understand why Reshad Jones was told he wasn’t being traded.

McDonald signed a free agent contract a couple of years ago and was expected to be a part of the rebuild at least through this year. The Dolphins were reportedly shopping veteran in the hopes of gaining more draft capital in 2020 but McDonald’s name wasn’t mentioned.

In 2019, McDonald was scheduled to count just over $6 million in cap space. By releasing him the Dolphins will save round $1.7 million while eating over $4 million in dead space.

It is unclear why McDonald was released. McDonald played sparingly through the Dolphins preseason games and did not practice today. He may be nursing an undisclosed injury but the release still comes as a surprise.

More details about the release will certainly be forthcoming. With McDonald now out of the Dolphins immediate and future plans, it opens a door for young rookie Montre Hartage to maybe have a shot at making the final 53.

The Dolphins have Jones, Walt Aikens, Bobby McCain, Hartage, Minkah Fitzpatrick, and Maurice Smith still on the roster competing for four maybe five spots.

The move of McCain to the safety position could have played a role in the release of McDonald. McCain hurt his shoulder last Thursday but it was not considered serious. By releasing McDonald now, it gives him a chance to latch on to another team priot to final cuts although under the NFL rules, if a team signs McDonald and he is on the roster for opening weekend, his contract for the season is guaranteed. In other words, he may not find work until after week one.