The Miami Dolphins announced their 53-man roster to start the 2025 NFL season on August 26, cutting 37 players from the training camp. Players with guaranteed contracts and promising 2025 draft picks were predictably selected to the team, but there were a handful of surprising roster cuts.
Mike Hilton
Mike Hilton, a 31-year-old cornerback with 123 games of NFL experience, was arguably the most surprising cut from Dolphins training camp. Hilton started 10 and appeared in 16 games with the Cincinnati Bengals last season, recording 73 tackles, five defended passes, and one interception. He has 520 tackles, 56 defended passes, 13 interceptions, and 11.5 sacks in his eight-year career.
Hilton signed a one-year, $1.25 million non-guaranteed contract with Miami in late July 2025 and was projected to be the team’s starting nickel cornerback in the fall. He was listed as such on the depth chart, but rarely played with the starters and, toward the end of camp, was passed by rookie Jason Marshall Jr.
Miami selected Marshall Jr. out of the University of Florida in the fifth round of the 2025 NFL Draft. He had 20 tackles and four defended passes in seven games as a senior in 2024. The Dolphins’ decision to have him start at nickel was a rather curious one considering he never played there before training camp, but he impressed coach Mike McDaniel and defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver.
“I think Jason’s skill set gives you an opportunity to not only play him outside but inside as well,” said Weaver, speaking to the press. “Then his physicality, again, that we weren’t really sure about until we put him in a game and we saw him make that TFL on the nickel pressure.”
Hilton worked out with the Indianapolis Colts after his release from the Dolphins, but hadn’t signed a contract as of September 2.
Quinton Bell
Quinton Bell was another somewhat surprising release from Dolphins training camp. The 29-year-old linebacker played in all 17 games with Miami last season, making three starts and playing 84% of special teams snaps. A seventh-round pick of the Oakland Raiders in the 2019 NFL Draft, Bell previously played four games with the Atlanta Falcons and five with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Bell seemingly fell out of favor with the Dolphins coaching staff after the signing of edge defender Matthew Judon, who should complement fellow veterans Bradley Chubb and Jaelan Phillips on the defensive line. A four-time Pro Bowler with nine years of experience, Judon had 41 tackles and 5.5 sacks in 17 games with the Falcons last season.
Pharaoh Brown
Considering he has started 54 games—and appeared in 87—during his seven-year career, Pharoah Brown was a mildly surprising omission from the Dolphins’ 53-man roster. The 6-foot-5, 260-pound tight end, known primarily for his run-blocking ability, caught eight passes for 65 yards in 15 games for the Seattle Seahawks in 2024. He has 72 career receptions for 751 yards and three touchdowns.
Instead of Brown, Miami opted to keep Tanner Conner as its third tight end behind veteran Darren Waller and Julian Hill. An undrafted free agent out of Idaho State, Conner has three receptions for 16 yards in 24 career games with the Dolphins.
Mohamed Kamara
Miami is also moving on from 26-year-old linebacker Mohamed Kamara one year after selecting him in the fifth round of the 2024 NFL Draft. Kamara had just one tackle in five games with the Dolphins during his rookie season. He became expendable after the signing of Judon.
It didn’t take Kamara long to land elsewhere, however. The Buccaneers signed the Colorado State alumnus to their practice squad on August 27, one day after Miami announced its 53-man roster.
Patrick McMorris
Safety Patrick McMorris, another 2024 draft pick, was also released by the Dolphins. Miami selected McMorris in the sixth round, 198th overall, after a productive senior season at the University of California, where he had 90 tackles, eight defended passes, one interception, and one sack. He had just one tackle in six games with the Dolphins in 2024.
Miami chose to keep six safeties on its roster, including rookie Dante Trader Jr. and Jordan Colbert, who was signed as an undrafted free agent in 2024. McMorris signed with the New York Giants practice squad on August 28.
Aaron Shampklin
Miami also released Aaron Shampklin, leaving rookie Ollie Gordon II as the only healthy running back on the roster one week before the start of the 2025 season. Both De’Von Achane and Jaylen Wright were dealing with minor injuries at the time and Alexander Mattison suffered a season-ending injury in training camp.
Shampklin rushed for 17 yards on six carries in three games with the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2024. He had six carries for 46 yards with Miami during the preseason. The Dolphins also released running back Mike Boone.