NFL: Dolphins place Roth on non-football injury list; more cuts to come
By TIM REYNOLDS
AP Sports Writer
DAVIE, Fla. — Matt Roth’s absence from the Miami Dolphins will stretch into at least October.
The Dolphins placed Roth on the reserve/non-football injury list Saturday, a move that was hardly unexpected since the linebacker has a groin injury that kept him sidelined for the entire preseason. He’s been able to complete some individual conditioning drills, but no full-scale practices.
Roth won’t be eligible to practice or play for the season’s first six weeks. The reserve/non-football injury list is similar to the physically unable to perform list, with the distinction being that Roth’s injury did not occur in a Dolphins’ practice or game.
The 26-year-old Roth started 14 games last season for Miami, enjoying far and away his best year.
He had career-highs of 53 tackles and five sacks in 2008, but with him sidelined, it appears Jason Taylor — who returned to Miami following a one-year detour with the Washington Redskins — is a virtual lock to start at strong-side linebacker when the Dolphins open their season Sept. 13 at Atlanta.
All teams needed to pare their rosters to the 53-man limit by Saturday afternoon.
The Dolphins announced some of their moves Saturday morning, waiving safety Courtney Bryan, offensive tackle Brandon Frye, linebacker William Kershaw, wide receiver Brandon London and cornerback Joey Thomas.
Defensive end Rodrique Wright — an All-American at Texas who was taken in the seventh round of the 2006 draft during the Nick Saban era in Miami — also was waived. Wright only played in 13 regular-season games for Miami, all during the 2007 season, although he did get into the Dolphins’ wild-card game loss last season against Baltimore as well.
Former Hawaii wide receiver Davone Bess, an integral part of the Dolphin offense last season, made the team as a rookie last year.
But the Dolphins picked two wide receivers in last April's draft.