Report: Miami Dolphins cut 14 players ahead of NFL roster deadline

The Miami Dolphins made several roster moves on Monday as their 53-man roster for the 2023 season starts to take shape.

Miami released tackle Geron Christian, wide receiver Keke Coutee and linebacker A.J. Johnson. The team had recently signed Johnson, but he must have not shown enough for Miami to give him a roster spot for the regular season.

Those weren’t the only players that didn’t make the roster for Miami.

The Dolphins ended up waiving linebacker Mitchell Agude, quarterback James Blackman, defensive tackle Josiah Bronson, defensive end Randy Charlton, wide receiver Chris Coleman, linebacker Aubrey Miller II, linebacker Garrett Nelson, safety Keidron Smith, tackle James Tunstall, defensive tackle Jaylen Twyman and defensive tackle Jamal Woods.

Woods was another player that had recently signed with Miami after being cut by the Indianapolis Colts earlier this offseason. Woods, 24, played six seasons at the University of Illinois before entering the NFL.

A lot of the players that the Dolphins waived were undrafted free agents that were attempting to make the team.

Johnson and Coutee both have experience in the NFL, but they weren’t able to crack the final roster. Coutee, who would have provided Miami with some depth at the wide receiver position, played for the Colts in the 2022 season.

He spent the first three seasons of his NFL career with the Houston Texans after the team took him in the fourth round of the 2018 NFL Draft. He then spent the 2021 and 2022 seasons with the Colts, appearing in 10 games. He made just one catch in the 2022 season for 20 yards.

Johnson spent four seasons with the Denver Broncos before playing for the Seattle Seahawks in the 2022 campaign. His best season came in 2020 with Denver when he totaled 124 tackles in 16 games.

The Dolphins are hoping to get back to the postseason in the 2023 campaign after they earned a spot in the AFC playoffs in the 2022 season.

Miami finished with a 9-8 record last season, but the team dealt with injuries to quarterback Tua Tagovailoa that certainly limited its ceiling.

If the team’s quarterback can stay healthy in 2023, Miami could compete for an AFC East division title.