Miami Dolphins starters will play a brief portion of the preseason finale while roughly 50 to 55 minutes will showcase fringe roster players vying for spots. NFL rosters must be trimmed from 90 to an initial 53 by 4 p.m. Tuesday, creating final impressions for hopefuls. Starters will follow pregame routines, get limited action versus Jacksonville reserves, and prioritize health. Numerous roster battles loom after a frugal offseason and draft-driven youth infusion, making decisions difficult. Coach Mike McDaniel called roster-cut day one of his least favorite and expects intense competition. Several dozen players feel secure while many others experience anxiety about their fate.
MIAMI GARDENS - We know Miami Dolphins starters will appear in Saturday night's preseason finale. However, 50 to 55 minutes of the 60 played in the 7 p.m. exhibition kickoff against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Hard Rock Stadium still will be about fringe roster players. They are making their final impression before the 4 p.m. Tuesday deadline for NFL rosters to be cut down from 90 to the initial 53-man regular season active roster.
"One of my least favorite days that exist," Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel said Thursday, before his team took the field for its final practice of training camp, a joint session with the Jaguars ahead of Saturday's exhibition, "and this one is probably going to be the worst that we've had just based on there's a lot of roster battles that will be decided."
"I remember a lot of anxiousness, a lot of nerves those last few practices," said wide receiver Nick Westbrook-Ikhine, who was once one of those players fretting about his fate. "You're seeing that grim reaper (a staffer assigned to contact players to go in for a talk with the coach when they're going to be cut) walk around after practice;
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