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The Miami Dolphins released a cornerback after the 2026 NFL Draft

This offseason, the Miami Dolphins have undergone a complete roster makeover. The team parted ways with a majority of its highest-paid players as they began focusing on building toward the future and improving their salary cap situation for 2027. As a result, the Dolphins had to get creative in how they filled the roster with talent.

New general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan recently spoke on the team’s salary cap situation as he told Joe Rose, “I knew what I was getting into… it’s unique. You have to move with a discipline that maybe is hard to do over time, but in order for us to get on the other side of this, we have to do things a certain way.”

That led to the Dolphins taking flyers on several free agents, who agreed to veteran minimum contracts. Additionally, the Dolphins will carry many rookies on their roster as they had 13 draftees plus some undrafted free agents. With the team adding so many players, they recently had to cut down to get to the limit of 91, which meant releasing former members of the team.

Miami Dolphins Announce Roster Moves

The Miami Dolphins announced via X that they had waived cornerback Isaiah Johnson. 

Johnson was a member of the Dolphins the previous two seasons. He was part of the team’s practice squad in the 2024 season before being elevated to the active roster in 2025. He appeared in four games during the 2025 season. 

Johnson was released with a failed physical designation as the cornerback suffered a torn ACL ina practice in December of last season. 

Regarding the move, Isaiah Smalls of the Miami Herald wrote:

“Johnson, who had oscillated between cornerback and safety during his time in Miami, joined the Dolphins in 2024 as an undrafted free agent. He spent two years on the practice squad before making his first of four appearances in 2025, racking up three special teams tackles in the process. Johnson suffered a torn ACL during a late December practice in 2025.”

Miami Herald writer Barry Jackson added on X: “Johnson’s size and length intrigued former regime.” The former regime signed Johnson to a two-year, $1.8 million contract, which unfortunately was derailed by an injury.

Miami Dolphins Cornerbacks

Johnson’s failed physical designation likely indicates that the cornerback is not yet ready to return to the field. Otherwise, he would have likely been able to compete for a spot on the team, as cornerback is a position of need for the Dolphins. 

To address this need, the Dolphins drafted cornerback Chris Johnson out of San Diego State with the No. 27 pick. Johnson was the No. 35 ranked prospect by NFL Network draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah.

Regarding Johnson, Jeremiah wrote:

“Johnson has excellent height, bulk and movement skills for his position. In press coverage, he doesn’t use his hands to reroute the receiver, but he has very quick feet and he’s fluid to open up/run. He will mix in some bail technique, where he’ll turn his back toward the sideline, run and stay on top of wideouts. He’s at his best in off coverage, where he shows excellent eyes/instincts to trigger on throws in front of him. He’s natural in finding and playing the ball. Johnson is extremely tough and aggressive to fill versus the run. He’s a dependable tackler in space and he flashes burst/closing ability as a blitzer. He had an up-and-down week at the Senior Bowl, but he rebounded with an outstanding NFL Scouting Combine performance. Coaches at SDSU rave about his character and toughness.”