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The Miami Dolphins made a change to their practice squad on Tuesday, signing edge defender Eric Watts and releasing edge Amari Gainer. The one-for-one swap keeps the Dolphins at one open practice squad spot, which could be filled by re-signing running back Carlos Washington Jr., who cleared waivers on Tuesday.
Washington had been signed from the practice squad to the 53-man roster on Saturday to provide depth at running back behind Jaylen Wright and Ollie Gordon II. The Dolphins couldn't use a standard elevation for Washington because they had already used their maximum of two such moves on edge Rodney McGraw and defensive tackle Mazi Smith.
Watts, who played collegiately at UConn, appeared in 18 games with one start for the New York Jets over the past two seasons after entering the league as an undrafted rookie free agent. He recorded 23 total tackles, with a career-high four tackles in his only NFL start, which came in the 2025 season finale when the Jets lost 35-8 to the Buffalo Bills. Watts joins a practice squad edge group that also includes McGraw and rookie seventh-round pick Max Llewellyn, who was elevated for the Week 2 game against the San Francisco 49ers.
In addition to signing Watts, the Dolphins hosted six tryout players on Tuesday. The group included a famous name—though not a famous player—in Zach Thomas. The other five tryout players were:
- DT Jalen Hunt, Cincinnati: A rookie free agent from Cincinnati who was waived by New England. He spent seven years in college at Michigan State and Cincinnati.
- T Darian Kinnard, Kentucky: A fifth-round pick of the Chiefs in 2022. He has appeared in 20 NFL games with five starts, including four starts for the Green Bay Packers in 2025. He was acquired from the Philadelphia Eagles in 2025 in a trade for a 2027 sixth-round pick and was waived by the Packers and Giants this summer.
- DT Brodric Martin, Western Kentucky: Has appeared in six NFL games with one start, which came with the Detroit Lions in 2024. He played one game for the Steelers in 2025. A third-round pick of the Lions in the 2023 draft, he was waived by the Raiders and Arizona Cardinals this year.
- G Melvin Priestly, Kentucky: A rookie free agent with the Detroit Lions.
- G Zachary Thomas, San Diego State: Has played in 17 games with no starts in three NFL seasons with the Rams, Patriots, and Texans. He was waived by the 49ers and Titans this summer.
In other news involving former Dolphins, tight end Hunter Long was placed on injured reserve by the Arizona Cardinals. Cornerback Marco Wilson, who was in camp with the Dolphins this summer, had a tryout with the Carolina Panthers. Offensive lineman Daniel Brunskill had a tryout with the L.A. Chargers, setting the stage for a reunion with Mike McDaniel and former Dolphins offensive line coach Butch Barry.
The Dolphins' updated practice squad now consists of: ILB Liam Anderson (Holy Cross), T Gottlieb Ayedze (Maryland), CB Ethan Bonner (Stanford), S Major Burns (LSU), DL Keith Cooper Jr. (Houston), G James Ester (Northern Illinois), WR AJ Henning (Northwestern), RB Jarquez Hunter (Auburn), EDGE Max Llewellyn (Iowa), EDGE Rodney McGraw (Western Michigan), WR Jalen Reagor (TCU), WR Will Sheppard (Colorado), DT Mazi Smith (Michigan), TE Tre Watson (Texas A&M), and EDGE Eric Watts (Connecticut).