There are players the Miami Dolphins will get rid of ahead of the 2025 season. Those players either have big salaries or don't contribute in a way that they should.
Then there are players who will likely play another season but probably shouldn't stick around. At some point, the Dolphins have to rip off the bandaid and make a decision.
It's never easy to cut a player, but sometimes a team can't progress or get better when roster spots are being taken up by the wrong people.
3 players the Miami Dolphins need to get rid of in 2025
1. Skylar Thompson has shown everything he has and it isn't enough
Thompson won a training camp competition ahead of the 2024 season against Mike White. It wasn't because he showed he was shoulders above White. In fact, Thompson looked as bad as White did most of the preseason but had one game that was a bit better.
After seeing what he has learned in three years with the Dolphins and having been replaced by a journeyman quarterback, Tyler Huntley, it has become evident that whatever Thompson is going to be as an NFL quarterback, is what he is right now.
Miami needs to find a better backup solution and maybe Huntley is the right answer, but we know that Thompson is not.
2. Erik Ezukanma has nothing more to prove to the Dolphins
There is nothing wrong with being a mid-round draft pick and not working out. Ezukanma is that type of player. He has had three years to provide the Dolphins a reason to keep him and when given the opportunity, he hasn't shined.
Miami needs players they can rely on, especially depth players, because of the injuries the other guys deal with. The Dolphins can no longer afford to keep Ezukanma around because he isn't available at times due to injury, and when he is, we are not seeing the development that we should have.
With Miami needing wide receiver help this offseason, replacing Ezukanma would seem like an odd move, but they need more consistency and someone who can be reliable. He hasn't been that so far.
3. Julian Hill experience should come to an end after the 2024 season
There is something to like about Hill, but he is not having an easy time finding his NFL footing. He is consistently costing the Dolphins yardage as opposed to gaining yards. He is a player who needs to develop, and while Miami seems to see a much higher ceiling for him, after two seasons, it isn't being reached.
The best Hill can hope for should be a practice squad spot where he can take the time he needs to develop. Miami has thrown him into the pit and hoped he could become a diamond. Instead, he's remained a block of coal.
Hill has what it takes to be an NFL tight end but he isn't progressing at a rate to take a roster spot from someone else.