Miami Dolphins 53-man roster predictions

MIAMI GARDENS — NFL teams must cut down their rosters to 53 players by 6 p.m. Sunday.

For the Miami Dolphins, they had their preseason finale Friday night against the Atlanta Falcons. The evaluation of players all throughout training camp and three preseason games is now complete.

The weekend, for general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan, working in conjunction with coach Jeff Hafley and his staff, will be full of critical decisions toward that initial active roster.

And the moves already began Saturday. He made a dozen cuts and, later, traded backup quarterback Quinn Ewers to the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Beyond the players who make the active roster Sunday, Miami can also keep cornerbacks Storm Duck and Darrell Baker Jr. on the physically-unable-to-perform list, sidelining them for the first four games of the regular season. The team can also identify up to two players to immediately place on injured reserve but with a designation to return. Rookie linebacker Trey Moore is a likely candidate there — and possibly defensive tackle Kenneth Grant.

The players at the end of the Dolphins’ initial 53-player roster Sunday evening are by no means safe. As other teams make their cuts, Sullivan can navigate the waiver wire for potential upgrades in the days following cuts.

After the active roster is in place and players clear waivers, Miami can start to construct its practice squad of 16 players, 17 if it includes a player from the international program, like tight end Seydou Traore.

Here’s a look at Dolphins writer David Furones’ 53-man roster projection after the Falcons game. Compare it to Dolphins columnist Chris Perkins’ predictions prior to the exhibition finale.

QB (1): Malik Willis

Off: Cam Miller, Mark Gronowski