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Miami Dolphins re-sign practice squad defender

The Miami Dolphins made a quiet but strategic roster move on Thursday, re-acquiring edge rusher Amari Gainer off their own practice squad. Gainer, a 26-year-old undrafted free agent who spent 2024 with the Las Vegas Raiders, returns to a team where he briefly appeared earlier this offseason.

His NFL experience includes 17 games with Vegas in 2024, where he contributed five special-teams tackles, and stints on the practice squads of both the Raiders and New England Patriots in 2025. The move clears space for Gainer by releasing defensive lineman Keith Cooper Jr., part of rookie GM Jon-Eric Sullivan’s ongoing efforts to refine the Dolphins’ depth chart ahead of their upcoming Week 1 showdown with the Cincinnati Bengals at Hard Rock Stadium.

Gainer’s college career spanned six years across Florida State and North Carolina, where he amassed 237 tackles, 8.5 sacks, and six forced fumbles over his final seasons.

Gainer’s path to Miami reflects the fluidity of NFL practice-squad assignments, having bounced between teams in 2025 while accumulating limited but notable production. His return to the Dolphins’ active roster—even in a developmental role—could provide Sullivan with an additional weapon on special teams or as a rotational pass rusher down the line.

With the Bengals looming as Miami’s first test of the season, every depth-chart adjustment takes on added significance as the Dolphins aim to build momentum early in the campaign.

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