Dolphins waive three players

The Dolphins their roster by three today, waiving linebacker Keith Saunders and wide receivers John Dunlap and Selwyn Lymon. All three were signed as undrafted free agents this offseason. Saunders was a former college defensive end at Alabama who was trying to make the team as a pass-rushing outside linebacker, while Dunlap and Lymon were two of the four undrafted receivers the Dolphins had in camp (in addition to Arena wideout Anthony Armstrong).

The moves, which come just a day before the team's second preseason game, put the Dolphins' active roster at just 75 players - five below the current roster limit. The Dolphins now have eight active wide receivers and seven outside linebackers.

There are no surprises here, as I didn't have any of these three making the final roster. Saunders was no higher than the fifth or sixth outside linebacker, and I considered fellow undrafted rookie Titus Brown a better shot to make the final roster (though still not a good shot). I thought Lymon would be competitive for the No. 5 receiver spot early in the offseason with his size, but Davone Bess has stood out as expected and the team is high on Jayson Foster so he didn't have much of a chance.

I am a little surprised to see Saunders and Lymon get cut before the likes of Anthony Armstrong and Maurice Fountain, but it makes sense that the team wanted to give the two former AFLers more of a look instead of the undrafted rookies they'd had since early May. All will likely be cut before the regular season begins.

Dolphins waive two, add AFL receiver

A day into training camp, the Dolphins signed one of their two unsigned draft picks, added an Arena league receiver and waived two players. Second-round defensive end Phillip Merling signed a four-year contract with the team today while Dallas Desperados receiver Anthony Armstrong was inked as well. To make room for the two, wideout Justin Wynn and offensive tackle Dan Gore (both undrafted rookies) were waived.

The 25-year-old Armstrong (5-11, 175) played college football at West Texas A&M. He went undrafted in 2005 and played for the Odessa Roughnecks of the Intense Football League (an indoor league) in 2006. He spent the past two seasons with the Dallas Desperados of the Arena Football League.

At West Texas A&M, Armstrong earned All-Lone Star Conference his junior and senior seasons and finished his collegiate career with 45 receptions for 1,768 yards. He had a pre-draft workout with the Dallas Cowboys in 2005 (most obscure connection ever?) but went undrafted and unsigned.

In 2006, Armstrong joined the Odessa Roughnecks of the Texas-based Intense Football League. That season, he caught 55 passes for 760 yards and 18 touchdowns, rushed four times for 39 yards and three touchdowns, and returned seven kickoffs for 166 yards and a touchdown.

The following year, Armstrong began the Arena league season on the practice squad of the Dallas Desperados before being promoted to the active roster. He finished the year with 10 catches for 126 yards and two touchdowns while adding another touchdown on his only kick return of the season. He experienced a breakout season with the Desperados in 2008, catching 85 passes for 1,162 yards and 18 touchdowns.

Analysis

The Dolphins really just swapped one long-shot receiver for another. Armstrong wasn't a stud in college and clearly hasn't been thought of as much of an NFL prospect. He faces competition from a handful of other players, including Davone Bess, Jayson Foster, Selwyn Lymon and John Dunlap. He isn't a good bet to make the team.

As for the other release, the departure of Dan Gore gives the Dolphins only five tackles on the roster. It wouldn't be surprising to see the Dolphins make an addition in this area soon, as they recently worked out undrafted free agent Pedro Sosa - a potential second- or third-rounder from Rutgers who went undrafted due to a knee injury his senior season.

Most Intriguing Training Camp Battles, No. 5: Last WR spots

With unanswered questions at quarterback and a lack of experience (and quite possibly talent) at wide receiver, the Dolphins will likely feature a run-heavy offense in 2008. That being the case, they'll still carry least five receivers on the roster because, well, that's just how things work. The top few spots are likely set, with Ted Ginn, Jr., Ernest Wilford and Derek Hagan essentially locks to make the squad. Beyond that, things are far less certain.

With Tab Perry already out for the season, the remaining two with NFL experience are Greg Camarillo and David Kircus. A Division II standout at Grand Valley State, Kircus has spent time with the Lions and Broncos since 2003. Camarillo, a special teams standout, earned national attention as the overtime hero in the Dolphins' lone victory last season.

I have been of the belief the entire offseason that the No. 4 receiving job would go to one of the aforementioned players and with Perry out of the picture, it comes down to Kircus and Camarillo. Kircus is probably the better receiver, though Camarillo does have some fill-in ability on offense and is also a standout special teamer. In the end, I think Camarillo's special teams prowess wins out. After all, Miami probably won't be going four-wide often anyway.

While teams sometimes carry six receivers (or in some cases, more), I don't see the Dolphins being one of those teams. There are too many other areas that will need extra depth and on a run-oriented team there just isn't much point in keeping six receivers on the squad only to dress four every Sunday.

Going on the assumptions that Kircus or Camarillo grabs the No. 4 job and the Dolphins only keep five total, the final spot will be given to one of five undrafted free agents on the squad. It's clear the Dolphins are hoping to find a potential hidden gem at the position, given that six of the 19 undrafted free agents Miami signed we receivers. (One, Marcel Reece, has since been cut.) Barring any additions to the team during camp, the competition will be between Davone Bess, Jayson Foster, Selwyn Lymon, Justin Wynn and John Dunlap.

The Dolphins simply signed too many for me to go into great detail here, so here's some very brief background info on each:

• Davone Bess, Hawaii (5-10, 190) - by far the most productive of Miami's UDFA receivers, start 39 games in Hawaii's passing attack and catching 293 passes for 3,610 yards and 41 touchdowns
• Jayson Foster, Georgia Southern (5-7, 175) - A former college quarterback, he's small but possesses great moves and quickness; rushed for 3,835 yards and 54 touchdowns in his career
• Selwyn Lymon, Purdue (6-3, 215) - possesses the best size of any Dolphins UDFA receiver; caught 73 passes for 1,030 yards and five touchdowns in two seasons with the Boilermakers; dismissed from team in Nov. 2007 for second drunk driving charge that year
• Justin Wynn, Grand Rapids CC (6-2, 190) - Hasn't played organized football since 2004, when he caught 35 passes for 559 yards and five touchdowns at Grand Rapids CC; instead of playing football in college, did landscaping and worked at Kohl's to support his family; played pee-wee football with Dolphins UDFA receiver Selwyn Lymon and Bills rookie wideout James Hardy
• John Dunlap, NC State (6-1, 220) - the lone player of the group that wasn't signed soon after the draft; instead latched on with the team after trying out at a June minicamp; started 22 of the 42 games he played for the Wolfpack, totaling 85 receptions for 924 yards and seven touchdowns

So who will it be? The good money is on Bess, who is easily the most experiences and polished of the group. Foster is intriguing because of his athleticism and potential special teams impact, but his size limits his potential a receiver. Lymon has great size and some of the betters skills of the group as well, but he'll be on a short leash given his past. As much of a feel-good story as it'd be, Wynn seems like a long shot given his lack of experience. Dunlap is nothing more than a camp body and has the worst chance of the group.

All things considered, the guy that initially wins the job following the preseason might not be guaranteed to stick around. Kerry Reed initially earned a roster spot after final cutdowns only to be relegated to the practice squad when Camarillo was claimed off waivers from the Chargers. With the lack of talent right now, there's no doubt the Dolphins will be scouring the waiver wires come September 1. You can't rule out preseason Keyshawn signing either.

The position(s): Final wide receiver spots

Number of spots: Two

The contenders: Greg Camarillo, David Kircus, Davone Bess, Jayson Foster, Selwyn Lymon, Justin Wynn, John Dunlap

Predicted winner(s): Camarillo and Bess

Reason: Bess has the best hands and the most experience, and although he runs in the 4.6s I feel he has enough speed to be productive in the slot. Quite frankly, I don't see why he couldn't be better than the extremely-overrated Wes Welker. As for the rest of the crowd, I'd peg Foster and Lymon as the most likely practice squad candidates, with Wynn trying to latch on elsewhere and Dunlap pretty much disappearing into oblivion.