The Miami Dolphins have maxed out one roster loophole—and their next move will reveal plenty
The Miami Dolphins have used their last flex with a veteran defender already and it’s not even October yet.
The Miami Dolphins are still in the process of finding answers at each position across their roster. The new pieces aren’t quite settled — and Miami is having to figure things out on the fly.
One element of rosters in the NFL does give you some extra flexibility. Practice squads give teams the chance to put players not on the 53-man roster into the game on Sundays — and the Dolphins have taken full advantage of it thus far. So much so that they’ve officially maxed out their elevations for veteran EDGE Clelin Ferrell. Where things go from here will be fascinating to watch.
The Miami Dolphins are using their last practice squad elevation for veteran EDGE Clelin Ferrell
You get three practice squad elevations per player. That’s it. And here, in Week 3, the Dolphins have used their final one for Ferrell as they search for answers in the EDGE room. That in and of itself is a story, but the more fascinating layer to me is where the team goes from here with Ferrell.
Are his elevations an indicator of the trust the team has in him as a viable part of their 2026 rotation? Or is he serving on a proverbial three-week tryout? If the team ultimately decides to not add Ferrell to the 53-man roster after his third appearance, what will they do? Do they exchange him out for another veteran player? Does Ferrell still hold value as a practice squad player that’s ineligible to be added to the 53-man on game days?
It’s a strategic pivot point. And we’re about to find out if the Dolphins view some of these practice squad spots as short-term auditions to churn veteran players or not. If they do, perhaps they’ll catch lightning in a bottle. And if they don’t, they’ll need to continue their search for EDGE answers by promoting Ferrell to the 53-man…or by leaning on his influence at practice, not the games.
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