NFL football is back in a big way. The preseason has ended, the regular season is around the corner, and today was one of the busiest days on the NFL schedule: Roster cutdown day . While the deadline has passed for teams to trim their rosters down to the 53-man limit, some moves may still be made between now and the start of the season.
With that said, the Miami Dolphins have finalized their initial 53-man roster. Most of the moves they made to get down to the roster limit were expected, but there were a few moves that came as a surprise.
CB Cam Smith
The first surprise move isn’t a cut, but rather the team putting cornerback Cam Smith on the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list to start the season. The move means that Smith will not be on the team’s roster to start the season, and thus does not count against the team’s 53-man limit.
This move isn’t so much a surprising one as it is a disappointing one. Smith was a second-round pick of the Dolphins in the 2023 NFL Draft . That year, Miami only had four selections, so to see one of them – especially their top one – unable to make an impact in either of his first two seasons is beyond disappointing. It does follow a precedent, however, following the likes of former first-round cornerback Noah Igbinoghene.
DB Nik Needham
The second surprise from the Miami Dolphins’ roster cutdown is actually somewhat of a surprise, as the team said goodbye to veteran Nik Needham. Needham had been with the team since signing with the team as an undrafted free agent after the 2019 NFL Draft. Needham made the team that season, and wound up being a key contributor to the team, starting 11 games during the 2019 season and coming up with two interceptions and 11 passes defended.
Overall during his Dolphins career, Needham appeared in 61 games over five seasons, making 27 starts playing both cornerback and safety for the team. Ultimately, he found himself squeezed out by the Dolphins relative surplus of depth at the position. Not necessarily surprising given the talent on the roster, but somewhat surprising given his contributions over the years.
DT Neville Gallimore
The last somewhat surprising cut from the Dolphins on cutdown day was the team announcing Tuesday morning that they had released defensive tackle Neville Gallimore. Gallimore signed a one-year deal worth nearly $1.8 million – with a $665,000 fully-guaranteed signing bonus – with the team in the offseason.
Gallimore was a third-round pick of the Dallas Cowboys in the 2020 NFL Draft. During his four seasons with the Cowboys, Gallimore appeared in 52 games, making 14 starts. Primarily a run stuffer for the Cowboys, Gallimore notched 90 tackles, 11 tackles for loss, and four sacks over his career. The cut does leave the Dolphins somewhat thin along the defensive line, with Calais Campbell, Zach Sieler, and Brandon Pili slated to be the team’s primary DTs Week 1.
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