The Miami Dolphins released 34 players, traded one, placed two on injured reserve and moved two to the reserve/PUP list over the weekend to get their roster down to 53 players before the start of the season.
However, with Miami's roster being so young and thin, the Dolphins will be adding players all season to make sure they have guys to build around and compete with not only for 2026 but also for the years to come.
With that, there were are a few players that other teams released over the last few days who could be intriguing targets for the Dolphins to consider bringing in. Let's take a look at some of them.
TE Justin Joly
Joly, 22, split his college career between UConn from 2022-23 and NC State from 2024-25. Between the two schools, the 6-foot-3 tight end
caught 166 passes for 1,978 yards and 15 touchdowns in 49 games.
The Denver Broncos took him in the fifth round of the 2026 NFL draft, 38 picks before Miami took Seydou Traore. In three preseason games, he caught five passes for 105 yards and a touchdown, which was an 88-yard score on a broken play.
OT Jedrick Wills
Willis played at Alabama from 2017-19, earning All-SEC and All-American honors once. He also won a national championship. The Cleveland Browns took him in the first round of the 2020 NFL draft. After a solid start to his career, he suffered a knee injury that limited him to eight games in 2023 and five games in 2024. He also sat out the 2025 season to recover and spent this offseason with the Chicago Bears, but they cut him on Sunday.
Training camp proved that the Dolphins need depth at offensive tackle. While they kept Marques Cox and Caedan Wallace, neither of them instilled much confidence in their opportunities.
OL Evan Neal
Neal, 25, played at Alabama from 2019-21, winning a national championship in 2020 and earning both All-SEC and All-American honors in his final season. His play led the New York Giants to take him in the first round of the 2022 NFL draft. While he started as a tackle, he moved to guard in 2025. However, he didn't appear in a single game.
Miami needs depth along their offensive line, and Neal has started at offensive tackle in the past, and if he could play guard, that could make him more valuable.
DL Mazi Smith
Smith, 25, played at Michigan from 2019-22, earning All-Big Ten honors in his final season. The Dallas Cowboys took him in the first round of the 2023 NFL draft, and after playing a rotational role as a rookie, he was a starter in 2024 before Dallas fliped him to the New York Jets in the Quinnen Williams trade. Last year, between the Cowboys and Jets, he recorded three total tackles in eight games.
Miami surprisingly kept Keith Cooper Jr. in the defensive line room after a strong preseason, but with the injury to Kenneth Grant, perhaps the former first-round pick would be better suited to step in.
CB Kaiir Elam
Elam, 25, played at Florida from 2019-21, earning All-SEC honors in second year and eventually landing with the Buffalo Bills as a first round pick in 2022. Unfortunately inconsistent play led the Bills to trade the cornerback to the Cowboys in 2025. However, he didn't even make it through the year, eventually spending some time with the Tennessee Titans.
Miami's secondary is very thin, especially with Darrell Baker Jr. and Storm Duck missing time. Taking a swing on Elam as more depth at cornerback or maybe even as a safety could be worth it.
This article originally appeared on Dolphins Wire: 5 waiver wire, free agent targets for the Miami Dolphins
