The Miami Dolphins are making roster moves, but not the one that everyone is waiting for. Miami had 94 players on their roster and needs to trim that number to 90 by Friday.
On Friday, the Dolphins will start their rookie camp, and the league requires teams to be at 90 players on the roster. Players invited to tryout are not under contract and don't count. With Miami being over the number, they have to make roster moves. The first one has been made, and it isn't unexpected.
At some point last season, something happened with the Dolphins' consistent long snapper, Blake Ferguson. Healthy, he was suddenly inactive, and then was placed on the non-football injury list. Miami spoke nothing of it, and Ferguson made not comments to the media or anyone else.
The Dolphins went through several long snappers to finish out the year, signing one to the practice squad, adding them to the game-day roster, putting them back on the practice squad, and then, after they were no longer eligible, releasing them and signing someone else.
The Dolphins signed an undrafted free agent long snapper this year, and Ferguson has now been released. The move saves the Dolphins $1.1 million in cap space.
Miami Dolphins make several moves prior to league-mandated roster limits go into effect
Many fans have been waiting to hear if punter Jake Bailey is being released. Miami added Ryan Stonehouse in free agency this year, as Bailey has been inconsistent since joining the Dolphins.
Releasing Ferguson seems like a move the Dolphins would have made last year, given the surrounding circumstances. Chasen Hines is a bit of a surprise, and Neil Farrell's release shouldn't be a surprise. The Dolphins added three defensive tackles in the draft, another from the UDFA pool, and signed another one on Thursday morning prior to the releases.
Ferguson was drafted in the sixth round of the 2020 draft. With his departure, only Tua Tagovailoa and Austin Jackson remain from a class that included 11 draft picks following the 2019 roster rebuild.
The Dolphins added Kentucky DT Tre'Vyon Rybka to the roster this year. At 6-foot-4 and 284 pounds, Rybka has solid tape from his college career. He will have a chance to compete for a roster spot, or at the very least, a practice squad position.
Miami will be making more moves as the weekend progresses but the big move, Jalen Ramsey, is still in flux.