The Miami Dolphins have begun trimming their roster ahead of the NFL's Tuesday deadline to reach the 53-man limit. One veteran was let go pretty quickly thanks to the play of one of the Dolphins' draft picks.
Rookie fifth-round pick Jason Marshall had a good camp and shined in preseason. He took over the nickel back role that became open when Kader Kohou was injured. Within days of Kohou's season-ending injury, the Dolphins added former Bengals nickel corner Mike Hilton. On Monday, Miami showed Hilton the door.
Hilton was supposed to take over for Kohou, but he struggled throughout camp and ultimately was surpassed by Marshall on the depth chart.
Dolphins release Mike Hilton, leaving more depth concerns at CB
With Hilton gone, the Dolphins still need to address their cornerback depth. They are not strong on the front end, let alone the deeper areas of the team. Hilton may not have looked good, but his experience would have been valuable.
Now that Hilton has been waived, Dolphins fans should expect Miami to start looking closely at the cuts made around the league. It should not be surprising to see as many as two, if not three, corners added between now and the second week of the season. Veterans who are on a roster for Week 1of have their contracts guaranteed for the entire year. Those added after are not guaranteed.
Miami will also need to watch other positions, as running backs De'Von Achane and Jaylen Wright are banged up. The Dolphins released Aaron Shampklin and Mike Boone on Monday in addition to Hilton. Shampklin looked good in preseason, but Mike McDaniel was not expected to carry four running backs and a fullback into the season.
Ollie Gordon is the only running back currently healthy, so there is a good chance they will watch the waiver wire. Shampklin could be brought back to the practice squad on Wednesday.
In another move that is not surprising, Miami released offensive tackle Jackson Carman. Carman started quite a bit last season with Austin Jackson out. Jackson is expected to be ready to start the season, which made Carman expendable.