The Miami Dolphins will have decisions to make before they return to the field in Week 7, but they’ll also have decisions to make in Week 8 when Tua Tagovailoa is expected to be back on the field after the concussion he suffered early this season . year vs. the bills.
There are two reasons why players lose their jobs mid-season – They play poorly and their roster spot is needed. For the Dolphins, it’s a mix of both with these three players could spend their final few weeks on the 53-man roster.
Miami could have used a portion of what they are paying Duke Riley to keep Andrew Van Ginkel. At least that would have reduced the cap heat. Instead, the Dolphins thought going the cheaper route was the right way to go, but Riley isn’t giving Miami a reason to keep him.
Penalties and mental errors have been his consistency this year. He still doesn’t play as physical as he should be and when he is on the field he is a liability. It would be one thing if he was a standout on special teams, but he’s no better than anyone else. The reality here is that Miami can let him go and they won’t be worse defensively.
The Dolphins like Skylar Thompson, and no one really knows why other than the fact that he’s a great teammate. After three years, he is no better than he was when he was drafted. Maybe he needs a little more peace out of the pocket. It appears the Dolphins and head coach Mike McDaniel have made their decision on who will start while Tua is out. It will be Tyler Huntley. When Tua returns, the Dolphins will not keep three quarterbacks on the active roster.
Miami will (hopefully) make room for Tua by releasing Thompson. The hope would be that he clears waivers, which shouldn’t be a problem given his play this year. Thompson would return to the practice squad, but after the season he would be better off looking elsewhere for work.
There is no reason for Julian Hill to remain on the Dolphins roster, at least not at 53. What exactly does McDaniel see in him? Miami could release him and stash him on the practice squad where he can continue to develop if they even think he should be there.
Hill isn’t playing good football and the Dolphins don’t need him. Jonnu Smith is far better than Hill, and Miami should give Hill reps to Tanner Conner. There are too many mental errors that are no longer acceptable. He needs to develop more, just not on the active roster.