The long-awaited 53-man roster has arrived. The Miami Dolphins made the tougher decisions where they needed to, and finally, fans know who will be chasing the dream of the postseason.
The roster for Miami won't be ironclad. Over the coming days, the bottom of the 53 will churn like a storm off South Beach. The Dolphins still have needs, and some of the moves they have made indicate that holes have been left that need to be filled.
Miami also has a decision to make with its kicker. Jason Sanders is starting the season on injured reserve. Miami will not have him on the roster for the first four weeks, meaning they have to add another kicker to the team, and that will cost someone else their spot on the roster.
Miami Dolphins final 53-man roster for the 2025 season
Special Teams
Jason Sanders - Kicker (IR - designated to return)
Jake Bailey - Punter
Joe Cardona - Long Snapper
This was supposed to be an easy position to predict. Jason Sanders was the lock, Jake Bailey won the punting job, and Joe Cardona was the long snapper. Sanders' injury leaves a hole for now, but Miami should fill that within the coming days.
Don't be surprised if the Dolphins use the practice squad rules to bring a kicker up each week and then release them after Week 3 and add another to the practice squad. It's a workaround that could allow the team to avoid releasing someone.
Offense
Quarterbacks
Tua Tagovailoa
Zach Wilson
Quinn Ewers
Nothing surprising here as Tua Tagovailoa is the lock on the unit, and both of the backups were going to make the team.
Running Backs
De'Von Achane
Ollie Gordon
Jaylen Wright
Alec Ingold - FB
The Dolphins have one completely healthy running back in rookie Ollie Gordon. They may look at the waiver wire and add a player to the practice squad.
Jaylen Wright is expected to miss a few weeks, but De'Von Achane is expected back for Week 1, barring any setbacks.
Wide Receivers
Tyreek Hill
Jaylen Waddle
Malik Washington
Dee Eskridge
Tahj Washington
There were no huge surprises with the receiver room. It was expected to work out the way it did.
Theo Wease, Jr. will likely head to the practice squad if he clears waivers. Erik Ezukanma could as well, but his time in Miami could just as easily be over after three unproductive seasons.
Tight Ends
Darren Waller
Tanner Conner
Julian Hill
The release of Pharaoh Brown was a bit surprising, but Tanner Conner looked a lot better in camp. The Dolphins remain high on Julian Hill's potential. Miami will look to add another tight end to the practice squad.
Offensive Line
Patrick Paul
Aaron Brewer
Jonah Savaiinaea
Austin Jackson
Kion Smith
Daniel Brunskill
Larry Borom
James Daniels
Liam Eichenberg (PUP)
Andrew Meyer (IR designated to return)
The Dolphins had to make some tough decisions with the line, but even those decisions may ultimately come undone later.
The team's depth is not good, and there is a need to add another inside guard. Larry Borom making the roster isn't a surprise, but his body of work this summer was not inspiring.
Defense
Defensive Line
Zach Sieler
Kenneth Grant
Benito Jones
Jordan Phillips
Zeek Biggers
Matthew Butler
This may be the biggest surprise of Tuesday's release. Miami opted to carry six tackles, including Matthew Butler and seventh-round rookie Zeek Biggers. Miami could still move Biggers off later with the hopes of sliding him onto the practice squad. It's a deep unit.
Linebackers
Jaelan Phillips
Bradley Chubb
Chop Robinson
Jordyn Brooks
Tyrel Dodson
K.J. Britt
Willie Gay
Matt Judon
Cameron Goode
The surprising moves with the linebacker group are the retention of Cameron Goode over Grayson Murphy and Mohamed Kamara. Kamara was drafted last year, spent most of the season on the inactive list, but Goode has been far from consistent.
The Dolphins released Channing Tindall, which isn't a surprise. The move to keep Goode could have more to do with his interior role. Look for Kamara and Murphy to be practice squad possibilities.
Cornerbacks
Cam Smith
Storm Duck
Ethan Bonner
Jack Jones
Jason Marshall
Isaiah Johnson
There is quite a bit to digest in the secondary. Miami released Mike Hilton earlier in the week and then released veteran Kendall Sheffield on Tuesday.
The inclusion of Isaiah Johnson on the 53 is well-deserved. Most of the other retained players were expected as well, but the Dolphins haven't officially added Rasul Douglas to the team despite reports that he will sign soon.
Once he is added, it will be interesting to see if this unit remains the same.
Safeties
Minkah Fitzpatrick
Elijah Campbell
Ifeatu Melifonwu
Ashtyn Davis
Dante Trader
Jordan Colbert
Carrying six safeties into the season is unbelievable. Dante Trader has had an odd training camp, and it seems this is another case of Chris Grier carrying a guy simply because he drafted him.
Ashtyn Davis is hurt and may not be available for a couple of weeks into the season. Surprisingly, he didn't end up on IR. Jordan Colbert would have likely cleared waivers.
If the Dolphins turn over more of their roster in the coming days as expected, the safety unit could take the hit.