How Newfound Injuries Affect The Dolphins Final 53-Man Roster
Credit: Bill Ingram / USA TODAY NETWORK
Dolphins training camp is finally here! Well, sort of! Rookies reported to the Baptist Health Training Complex on July 16. But for those of you who are excited to get inside scoops on how the rooks are doing in practice, you’ll unfortunately need to wait until July 28, when fans are allowed on-site. Naturally, things have been pretty quiet thus far since practices aren’t open to the media yet, either.
However, there is one snippet of noteworthy news from training camp that’s worth diving into. The Miami Dolphins announced a slew of transactions over the past couple of days with updates to their injury lists. S Mark Perry and RB Salvon Ahmed were placed on the non-football injury list (NFI); while LB Bradley Chubb, LB Cameron Goode, LB Jaelan Phillips, and OL Isaiah Wynn were put on the physically unable to perform list (PUP).
Most of these were expected. Ahmed, Chubb, Goode, Phillips, and Wynn all sustained season-ending injuries last year, so it’s not surprising to find out that they aren’t fully healthy yet. The Dolphins knew these guys would miss significant amounts of time and they filled those voids accordingly.
However, there are varying levels of concern for other two injuries: those sustained by S Mark Perry and rookie WR Tahj Washington. Both of these injuries could have an impact on the roster bubble positional battles and how the Dolphins’ final 53-man roster ultimately shapes up after training camp concludes.
Let’s start with Washington, who was fully healthy when Miami drafted in the seventh round and now finds himself on the PUP list. The concern here is that we don’t know what it is wrong, or when he’ll be back on the field.
Before this injury was revealed, Washington had a great shot to make the back end of the roster over Braxton Berrios as the Dolphins primary return man. Washington is a more explosive athlete than Berrios, which is huge considering that the new kick return rules encourage returns now more than ever. With Washington on the PUP list for the foreseeable future, Berrios should win the return job unopposed while Washington is a lock to make the practice squad once he returns.
As for Perry, his situation is a bit different, as he never had a realistic shot at making the final 53-man roster in 2024. Miami kept five safeties last season, leaving Perry as the sixth or seventh safety on the depth chart. He’s currently behind Jevon Holland, Jordan Poyer, Marcus Maye, Elijah Campbell, Patrick McMorris, and even slot corner Nik Needham, should the Phins decide to keep cross-training him at safety.
That being said, Perry received a three-year contract as an undrafted free agent that includes a $150,000 signing bonus. Giving an undrafted guy like Perry a large signing bonus is a good way for the Dolphins to show that they value him for the long term. Perry should easily make Miami’s practice squad, despite receiving significant interest from other teams.
Even though Perry wasn’t projected to be a starter this year, losing him still is a blow. Holland has been fairly injury-prone early in his career, and it’s not certain how much Poyer has left in the tank. While Marcus Maye helps the Dolphins’ safety depth, he’s not gonna move the needle by any means. Maye is also a veteran on the wrong side of 30, so the fact that one of Miami’s youngest safeties is out gives the Phins fewer options if one of the veterans needs to be subbed out.
Perhaps those two rookie injuries won’t change the big picture by much for Miami. Aside from Berrios becoming a near-lock to make the final 53-man roster due to his special teams prowess, general manager Chris Grier may be less inclined to keep six wide receivers than previously thought. Miami started last season with six receivers on the roster, but it’s tough to believe a 29-year-old River Cracraft is someone the Dolphins should prioritize keeping as a sixth wideout, not with Odell Beckham Jr. taking a significant amount of snaps. That upgrade means there’s little reason to rotate players in and out as a third wide receiver.
While injuries to third-stringers may seem insignificant, some of them may create vacancies on the backend of the roster. This is crucial during training camp, when undrafted free agents are trying to make the team. Even if there aren’t surprise training camp standouts worthy enough for a spot on the final 53-man roster, having players spend the entirety of training camp and preseason on the PUP or NFI lists could force Grier to adjust the overall roster construction of this Dolphins team by prioritizing stronger positions over weaker ones.
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