5 Miami Dolphins players who earned a roster spot but may not make it

Each year there are players who do everything right in training camp and still don’t make the Miami Dolphins roster and 2021 is no different.

After three preseason games and many practices, the Dolphins will pair down their final roster by 4:00 pm Tuesday afternoon. Some of the decisions will be easy as there are more than enough players that do not warrant a roster spot and earlier today we talked about five players that didn’t do enough to warrant a roster spot even though a few of them will likely take up space.

Now, we are going to look at five players who may not make the final roster but have shown enough to warrant a roster spot and with fingers crossed, maybe the Dolphins believe they belong on the team as well.

Kirk Merritt

Merritt is still developing but this training camp and preseason work has been really good. Merritt has taken advantage of the time he has had on the field. On Sunday against the Bengals, Merritt posted three receptions for 72 yards and a touchdown. He has been consistent and still has room to grow. The question is will he be claimed off waivers before Miami can stash him on the practice squad?

Patrick Laird

Laird hasn’t been given many opportunities and he really hasn’t needed to show his value to the Dolphins. Miami knows what they have in him and he is a serviceable third-down back with good run after the catch ability. This year, Laird faces a much deeper roster at running back and the numbers are not adding up in his favor.

You will not see his name on the final 53 man roster but if things go well for the Dolphins, he will be on the practice squad and could be in a position to replace Jacoby Brissett after the 2021 season. Sinnett has played well given his chances this preseason and on Sunday played the entire game. His stats were good enough to stand out as the best QB performance of any team this preseason. Of course, most QBs don’t play full games in the preseason. Still, he looks much better than he did a year ago and could be a perfect number two in another year.

Robert Jones

There have been times when Jones looked like he would develop quickly as an offensive lineman and then, look terribly lost. Miami guaranteed his undrafted free agent contract and come Tuesday, Jone is likely going to be cut and then brought back to the practice squad. Jones has a lot of upside but with all the transitioning and shuffling on the line through camp, Jones didn’t get the time to develop quicker.

Chris Myarick

Myarick had a spectacular clutch catch in the endzone for the game-winning touchdown on Sunday but he has also been consistent from the start of training camp. Myarick’s problem is that he is behind Mike Gesicki and Hunter Long in terms of long-term plans and Durham Smythe and Adam Shaheen in more short-term goals. He is a candidate for the practice squad but if he wants playing time, he may need to find work outside of Miami.