With one of the youngest, most inexperienced rosters in the league, the Miami Dolphins have made it clear that they want to keep cycling through players to try to find guys to build around under their new regime.
On Thursday, Miami continued that trend by releasing defensive lineman Keith Cooper Jr. from their practice squad and re-signing linebacker Amari Gainer to take his spot.
Cooper, 23, played at Tulane from 2021-23 and at Houston in 2024, earning All-Big 12 honors in his lone season with the Cougars. After going undrafted in 2025, he spent his rookie season split between the Detroit Lions and Cleveland Browns before joining the Dolphins this year. He's appeared in three games in 2026 and has recorded just one tackle.
Gainer, 26, split his
college career between Florida State (2018-22) and North Carolina (2023). He signed with the Las Vegas Raiders as an undrafted rookie in 2024 and spent the year with the team before a short stint with the New England Patriots. He was on Miami's practice squad until Tuesday, but now he's back.
This article originally appeared on Dolphins Wire: Dolphins re-sign pass rusher, release defensive lineman
