Dolphins poach a linebacker off Bengals practice squad? Is a tailback next?

A day after losing the team’s top offensive player the Miami Dolphins had four vacant roster spots to fill.

Read more Panthers edge Hurricanes in opener on Forsling’s late OT goal

General manager Jon-Eric Sullivan used one of those spots to claim linebacker Shaka Heyward off the Cincinnati Bengals practice squad, making him the second player Miami poached off another team’s practice squad the past two weeks.

Last week Miami claimed pass rusher Andre Jones Jr. off the Buffalo Bills’ practice squad, and that seemingly made edge rusher Clelin Ferrell expendable since Jones played 14 snaps on special teams against the Chiefs.

Miami waived Ferrell from the practice squad on Monday, along with defensive tackle Jordan Miller, who was also released from the practice squad. Defensive lineman Keith Cooper Jr., who was one of training camp’s most improved players, was also cut from Miami’s 53-man roster.

The Dolphins also placing De’Von Achane on injured reserve because of the ACL tear he suffered in Sunday’s 24-10 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs opened up two spots on Miami’s 53-man roster. Heyward’s addition takes up one of those spots.

NFL players signed off another team’s practice squad are required to be on their new team’s 53-man roster for a minimum of three weeks.

Heyward, a 6-foot-3, 238-pounder who contributed 339 tackles, 11.5 sacks and intercepted four passes in his four seasons at Duke, has spent the majority of the past three seasons on the Bengals practice squad. However, he’s played in 18 games the previous two seasons, contributing 22 tackles and forcing one fumble in the 349 snaps he handled on defense and special teams in 2024 and 2025.

Cooper’s release could have been done so the Dolphins could place the first-year player on the practice squad if he isn’t claimed on waivers on Tuesday. The Dolphins also added offensive guard James Ester to the practice squad, re-signing a player they had in training camp.

Ferrell’s release was a bit surprising because the former 2019 first-round pick had been promoted to the 53-man roster for the first three games of the 2026 season, and had played 40 snaps on defense, most of which came in the first two games.

Ferrell had run out of practice squad elevations, which meant he’d need to be added to the 53-man roster to participate in another Dolphins game.

Miller, a nose tackle who played his college ball at the University of Miami and SMU, joined the Dolphins at the beginning of September when Miami was filling out its 16 player practice squad.

Read more Man named in Cornell rape suit no longer with Wells Fargo in Charlotte: report

At that time the Dolphins needed reinforcements for the defensive line, which had been thinned out by injuries.

But with Kenneth Grant, the Dolphins’ 2025 first-round pick, expected to miss one more game because of the left ankle sprain that got him placed on injured reserve for the first month of the season, it seems as if the Dolphins intend to address other needs with the open roster spots.

Last week Miami signed receiver A.J. Henning, who has impressed during training camp, to the practice squad because of injuries – Caleb Douglas’ ankle, Chris Bell’s left knee soreness and Ryan Miller’s hip and back – the receiver unit’s dealing with.

To fill the void created by Achane’s injury, the Dolphins will likely add a tailback to the 53-man roster by signing a veteran or claiming someone off another team’s practice squad, or by promoting one of the two backs — Jacquez Hunter and Carlos Washington Jr. — up from the practice squad.

Washington, a first-year player who spent the 2025 season on the Atlanta Falcons practice squad, had a decent training camp in Miami, which helped him earn a practice squad spot.

Miami acquired Hunter in an August trade with the Los Angeles Rams, whom Miami sent disappointing receiver Tutu Atwell to, partly to unload his guaranteed contract on the Rams.

However, the Dolphins released Hunter, a former Auburn standout who was a 2025 fourth-round pick, four days later when composing its 53-man roster. But the Dolphins immediately re-signed him to the practice squad.

Washington and Hunter had been practicing against Miami’s first-team defense the past month as part of Miami’s scout team, which gets the offense and defense prepared for each week’s opponent. That means Miami’s coaches have an understanding of what each tailback could potentially bring to the Dolphins offense.

At the moment Ollie Gordon II, who gained 41 rushing yards on 17 carries as Achane’s replacement on Sunday, is viewed as the frontrunner to replace Achane as Miami’s starter because Jaylen Wright, the only other tailback on the 53-man roster, is nursing a foot injury that kept him from practicing last Friday, and forced the Dolphins to make him inactive for the Chiefs game.

The Dolphins reportedly worked out four tailbacks – former Hurricanes standout Damien Martinez, Hassan Haskins, Kenny McIntosh and Elijah Tau-Toliver on Tuesday.

Read more No kitchen nightmare: Gordon Ramsay dines on famous KC BBQ while filming show

This story was originally published September 29, 2026 at 9:49 AM.