Here is a small bet I will take… Jakeem Grant will make the Miami Dolphins 53-man roster.
Grant is a feel-good story and Dolphins fans will have much to look forward to from a wide receiver who is small in size but mighty in play. Grant flat out balled not just in the final preseason game but all of preseason.
Grant caught four passes for 141 yards and a touchdown in the first half of the Dolphins’ 30-9 victory over the Minnesota Vikings.
Twenty of the Dolphins 22 starters did not play in the preseason finale against the Vikings. Jobs became available on the line for players looking to make the final 53-man roster. The Dolphins are stacked at the wide receiver position so Grant will still look to earn any touches in an offense full of weapons.
“I’m a receiver before a returner,” Grant said. “That’s what I’ve been harping on and I want to show everybody, even myself, that I can go out there and make big plays like Kenny (Stills), Jarvis (Landry) and DeVante (Parker). Whenever you put me in you can trust me. I’m going to make that big play and there’s not going to be a slack off.”
Head coach Adam Gase has been looking to get the second-year wide receiver involved.
Now the trimming of the fat begins. Miami will be looking to cut a 90-man roster down to 53 players. Cuts that caught my eye include three players who were part of their 2016 draft class: defensive back Jordan Lucas, tight end Thomas Duarte and backup quarterback Brandon Doughty. They can return to the practice squad if they go unclaimed.
For the second time in three seasons, the Dolphins decided to go in another direction at punter. The job belongs to undrafted rookie Matt Haack over Matt Darr and the change will save the Dolphins nearly $150,000. WR Trey Griffey, son of MLB great Ken Griffey Jr., was cut along with QB David Fales who completed 12 of 20 passes for 193 yards and three scores in the win over the Vikings.
Now that the preseason is over the bottom line is this, the Dolphins don’t have a quarterback for the future and they go where Jay Cutler takes them. The Dolphins may look to only keep Cutler and Matt Moore as their quarterbacks. Cutler, from the small taste test I have had, needs to prove himself to the Miami faithful. If he wins, all is well. The Dolphins gave him this chance when everyone else gave up because they needed him as much also. Miami has surrounded him with pieces moreover the defense is there as a safety net if they can lead an offense in getting points on the board.
Miami made the playoffs for the first time in eight years leading them to have increased season ticket sales for the first time in a decade. The numbers have not been released however the Dolphins have sold the entire allotment of season tickets for 2017 home games. Home fans will have all eyes on Cutler.
The Dolphins are concluding the final stage of a $500 million-plus renovation that has been on going for three years at Hard Rock Stadium. Dolphins will accept donations for Hurricane Harvey relief at the stadium. They open the regular season at home on Sept. 10 against Tampa Bay.
