After a bit more than two weeks on the team, the Miami Dolphins have waived linebacker Jason Pierre-Paul. This comes a week after the Dolphins signed pass-rusher Melvin Ingram to the practice squad, a player that the Dolphins have more familiarity with since he played for them last season. Yet the main reason for Pierre-Paul’s release was to make room to activate rookie running back Chris Brooks off IR. Brooks was expected to be activated this week as his 21-day practice window was coming to an end.
This move gives the Dolphins some depth in the running back room as they prepare to face the Cowboys this Sunday, who are coming off a humiliating 31-10 loss to the Bills this past Sunday. The Bills ran for over 250 yards against the Cowboys, which makes this move look even better for the Dolphins. Brooks hasn’t gotten a lot of touches this year, but if the Dolphins plan on running the ball a lot this Sunday (which they should), then this might be his opportunity to get involved in the offense.
Brooks this season has only 15 carries for 94 yards averaging a good 6.3 yards per carry. This includes an explosive 52-yard run he had in Week 3 when the Dolphins blew out the Broncos. But his main influence has been in the blocking game, where he has shown his ability to block any defender on both run and pass plays. He is a big back, so the Dolphins should try to use him in short-yardage situations where they have struggled all year long. He is going to have an impact on this game, and hopefully, he can stay healthy for the remainder of the season.
Going back to Pierre-Paul being waived, some people (including me) want to speculate that there is another reason for his release. Just a few hours before Pierre-Paul were waived by the Dolphins, the news broke that the Panthers released four-time Pro Bowl linebacker Justin Houston and that he wants to play for a contender. So, it didn’t take long for everyone to conclude that it must be that the Dolphins want to sign Houston. If we are being honest, it doesn’t seem like this was the case because the Dolphins clearly did this to make room for Brooks and they would have to make another spot for Houston, so we can probably end those speculations right away.
