The Miami Dolphins made a flurry of roster moves ahead of tonight’s Monday Night Football game against the Los Angeles Rams.
The Miami Dolphins made a series of roster moves on Monday as the team prepares for their Week 10 Monday Night Football game against the Los Angeles Rams. The moves filled their 53-man roster and pulled players up from the practice squad for the game. The Dolphins enter the game at 2-6, in desperate need of a win that could spark a late-season AFC playoff picture push.
The moves were headlined by the activation of wide receiver River Cracraft off injured reserve, but included the addition of a long snapper and an offensive lineman. The Dolphins also placed tackle Austin Jackson on injured reserve and signed a defensive tackle to add depth.
Dolphins activate River Cracraft
Cracraft was originally placed on IR as part of the league’s new rules surrounding the roster cuts at the end of the preseason. Teams are now allowed to place up to two players on IR as part of the roster moves, designating them for return immediately, rather than having to keep an injured player on the 53-man roster for at least 24 hours before being allowed to place them on IR in order to keep them eligible to return during the season.
Cracraft joined the Dolphins in 2022 following two-years stints each with the Philadelphia Eagles and San Francisco 49ers. He began his career with the Denver Broncos as an undrafted free agent out of Washington State, spending three seasons with the Broncos. After initially beginning his Dolphins tenure on the practice squad, he has appeared in 21 games over the two years, including one start, with 18 receptions for 121 yards and three touchdowns. Cracraft brings with him a tenacity to do whatever is needed on the field, including serving as a solid run blocker from his wide receiver position.
Cracraft fills Brandon Pili’s roster spot
Cracraft’s activation fills the roster spot on the 53-man roster that was left empty after the team waived defensive tackle Brandon Pili on Saturday. Pili was signed by the Dolphins as an undrafted free agent in 2023. He appeared in four games as a rookie and had played in all eight games this season. He had recorded two tackles this season.
Cracraft role in 2024
The Dolphins have struggled to find a reliable third receiver this season. They signed Odell Beckham, Jr., with the idea of adding a veteran option behind Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle, but in four games played this year, Beckham has just three receptions on six targets for 15 yards. Running back De’Von Achane and tight end Jonnu Smith are tied for second on the team with 302 receiving yards each this season, followed by running back Raheem Mostert (71 yards), fullback Alec Ingold (60), and tight end Julian Hill (45). Wide receiver Dee Eskridge, who started the year on the practice squad and has only appeared in four games, has the third-most receiving yards for a receiver with just 36 this season on two receptions.
Crarcaft’s understanding of the offensive schemes, from his previous two seasons in Miami as well as his time in the San Francisco offense where Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel was the offensive coordinator, could allow him to immediately come into the offense and provide the third receiver the team needs. A Miami offense with Hill, Waddle, Achane, Smith, and Cracraft all as options could be the catalyst the team needs to get back to the high-octane scoring machine they were in 2023.
Austin Jackson placed on injured reserve
The Dolphins moved offensive tackle Austin Jackson to injured reserve, a move that was expected leading into the weekend. The team had already ruled Jackson out of the game with a knee injury, but now he will miss at least three more games after Monday before the team can consider bringing him back. Head coach Mike McDaniel indicated during his Saturday media availability that Jackson could need a “clean-up” type of surgery, but that the injury was not considered season-ending.
Jackson, a first-round pick for the Dolphins in 2020, had solidified the right side of the offensive line, protecting the blind-side of the left handed quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. He started 16 games last year and had started all eight games this year prior to the injury.
Who fills in for Jackson?
With Jackson out, the Dolphins will likely turn the starting right tackle position over to Kendall Lamm. Miami’s 2024 second-round pick, Patrick Paul, could be asked to take the spot, but the team seems more inclined to leave him working as a left tackle, the heir apparent to Terron Armstead at that position, over moving him into the right position and asking him to reverse his technique and footwork. If Jackson’s injury is going to be longer than four games, or if Lamm struggles, the team could still look to Paul, but it appears the position is Lamm’s to lose at this point.
Dolphins sign Neil Farrell
Jackson landing on injured reserve opened an additional roster spot for the team on the 53-man roster. Farrell has been on the practice squad since the end of September and now moves up to the active roster as a depth defensive tackle, filling in for the waived Pili. Farrell was a 2022 fourth-round pick of the Las Vegas Raiders, appearing in nine games. He was traded in 2023 to the Kansas City Chiefs, where he appeared in three regular season games along with the AFC Championship game and the Super Bowl. He spent the first couple of days on the Chiefs’ practice squad this year, but was released.
Practice Squad elevations
Along with the move to activate Cracraft, the Dolphins elevated two players from the practice squad, making them eligible for the team’s game-day roster. Miami elevated long snapper Tucker Addington to fill an obvious need for the game. Addington signed with the Dolphins’ practice squad on Tuesday, replacing long snapper Matt Overton. Miami released Overton from the practice squad after he had been elevated the maximum of three times for this season. The Dolphins’ primary long snapper, Blake Ferguson, is on the non-football illness list; he is eligible to be activated after this week’s game.
Miami also elevated tackle Jackson Carman, providing them with depth for the position group following Jackson landing on injured reserve.
Who is Tucker Addington?
Addington went undrafted out of Sam Houston State in 2020. After not playing football for two years, he spent the 2022 season in the USFL before being signed to the practice squad of the Dallas Cowboys – oddly, the Cowboys also signed Overton to their practice squad on the same day. Addington was released by the Cowboys a week later, joining the New England Patriots’ practice squad late in the season. He began 2023 with the Jacksonville Jaguars, but was released at the end of the preseason before signing with the Washington Commanders late in the year. He spent part of this season with the New England Patriots’ practice squad. He has appeared in seven games during his career.
Who is Jackson Carman?
Carman was a 2021 second-round pick by the Cincinnati Bengals out of Clemson. He has played in 22 games during his career, primarily playing guard. He was released by the Bengals at the end of the preseason this year, signing with the Dolphins’ practice squad in mid-September.
Practice squad elevation rules
The NFL allows teams to elevate up to two players per week from the practice squad, making them eligible for the 48-man game day roster. An individual player can be elevated up to three teams per season before the team has to sign them to the 53-man roster if the player is going to appear in any additional games.
Dolphins 2024 elevation tracker
- Matt Overton, long snapper – 3 elevations (Week 7, 8, 9; released from practice squad)
- Robbie Chosen, wide receiver – 2 elevations (Week 1, 2; released from practice squad)
- Dee Eskridge, wide receiver – 2 elevations (Week 3, 4; promoted to 53-man roster in Week 8)
- Neil Farrell, defensive tackle – 2 elevations (Week 8, 9)
- Nik Needham, cornerback – 2 elevations (Week 5, 7)
- Tucker Addington, long snapper – 1 elevation (Week 10)
- Tim Boyle, quarterback – 1 elevation (Week 5; promoted to 53-man roster in Week 7; released in Week 8)
- Jackson Carman, tackle – 1 elevation (Week 10)
- Erik Ezukanma, wide receiver – 1 elevation (Week 3)
Rams roster moves before Monday Night Football
The Rams made several roster moves ahead of the game. They activated offensive linemen Steve Avila and Jonah Jackson from injured reserve, filling an open spot and waiving offensive lineman Logan Bruss for the second position. They also elevated defensive end Jonah Williams from the practice squad.