Miami Dolphins sign safety Verone McKinley III to the active roster; elevate offensive tackle Kion Smith from the practice squad before Sunday’s matchup vs. Cleveland Browns

The Miami Dolphins made two roster moves ahead of Sunday’s matchup vs. the Cleveland Browns. First, the team officially signed safety Verone McKinley III to the active roster. Miami also elevated offensive tackle Kion Smith before tomorrow’s game vs. the Browns, according to the team’s official website.

McKinley, 22, has appeared in two games for the Dolphins this season, starting in one. The former Oregon Ducks’ safety recorded two solo tackles since being elevated from the practice squad. He signed with the Dolphins as an undrafted free agent shortly after the 2022 NFL Draft. Now, with safety Brandon Jones out for the remainder of the season, look for Verone McKinley III to play a pivotal role for Miami’s secondary moving forward.

Here’s what McDaniel said earlier this week about Miami’s safeties and the need for multiple people to step up in Brandon Jones’ absence.

“What I like is that they give us versatility for different sorts of packages week-in and week-out… Brandon (Jones) is a great player that you don’t replace by one player. I think they’ve all understood that, and you’re seeing different elements of people’s game just rise up. One of the guys that I was most proud of in the entire game, on both sides of the ball, was Eric Rowe. He played his butt off, and not only was he making some plays in space on some offensive players, but he was trying to get turnovers as well, aggressively going after the ball. It was an example of what you’ve seen this season from this locker room, which is guys recognizing opportunities and then trying to take their game to the next level to do right by the locker room, so that our level of play doesn’t fall off. The whole room in general, each individual safety has different skills that we can utilize, but they’re all understanding that it is their job to make sure that we continue to get better on defense, even though Brandon is not there.”

The other roster move the Dolphins made was elevating veteran offensive tackle, Kion Smith from the team’s practice squad. Smith has been on Miami’s practice squad for the last two seasons. He was elevated earlier this year in Week 6 vs. the Vikings and Week 9 vs. the Chicago Bears. Smith will bring added depth to a Dolphins offensive line that has played fairly well over the last several weeks.

The Dolphins have until 11:30 AM EDT on Sunday to finalize their inactive list. #FinsUp

What are your thoughts on the Miami Dolphins signing safety Verone McKinley III to the 53-man roster? How do you feel about the team elevating offensive tackle Kion Smith? How are you feeling ahead of tomorrow’s matchup vs. the Cleveland Browns? Let us know in the comments section below!