Two former Dolphins claimed on waivers, marking roster improvement
Just one year ago, the Miami Dolphins were far and away the least talented roster in the NFL. That will come when you have a fire sale to kick off a new rebuilding effort that puts priority on manufacturing salary cap space and hoarding draft assets — knowing full well you’re not going to be a competitive ball club in the year to come. And the Dolphins would go on to spend the majority of the season churning through the weekly waiver wire — hoping to strike gold and transition someone else’s trash into their own treasure.
These days, the Dolphins are a different story. No, the team’s rebuilding effort isn’t complete — not by a long shot. But suddenly the Dolphins are seeing their own discarded players plucked off the waiver wire by other teams; meaning Miami now does have some depth that makes players expendable that other NFL franchises deem worth investigation and, possibly, investment.
As an NFL general manager, there’s no better problem to have than too much talent. And that’s an issue the Dolphins have hardly known anything about for the past decade; especially when you consider that when the team has struck gold, they usually haven’t been able to retain them long-term.
But when the Dolphins announced the release of UDFA tight end Bryce Sterk and defensive back Steven Parker, it didn’t take long for other teams to pounce on Miami’s discarded players. Sterk landed with the Cincinnati Bengals, whereas Parker landed with the Minnesota Vikings — a team favored by many to win the NFC North this season. Dolphins cuts, claimed by a potential playoff team?
Indeed. Let it serve as a compliment to the job Chris Grier has done to remodel this roster in short order.
