Lester Cotton staying with Miami Dolphins

A day after playing all 71 offensive snaps at left guard in an NFL playoff game for Miami on Sunday, Lester Cotton signed a reserve/future contract with the Dolphins.

Also signing a reserve/future contract on Monday was former Hoover High School standout Jeremiah Moon with the Baltimore Ravens.

MORE NFL:

· BENGALS HOPING TO KEEP JONAH WILLIAMS IN THE LINEUP

· MIAMI COACH RESPONDS TO REPORTS ON TUA TAGOVAILOA’S FUTURE

· STATE DEFENSIVE BACKS SEAL GIANTS’ WIN

A player signed to a reserve/future contract can be added to an NFL team’s roster when it expands from 53 to 90 players for the offseason on the first day of the NFL’s 2023 business year on March 15. The newly signed players become eligible to participate in offseason workouts, minicamps and OTAs as team members.

Only players who aren’t on NFL active rosters can sign reserve/future contracts.

After spending most of the season with the Las Vegas Raiders, Cotton joined the Miami practice squad on Dec. 20. Injuries along the offensive line caused the Dolphins to elevate Cotton from the practice squad to active status for Sunday’s postseason game, and the former Central-Tuscaloosa and Alabama standout went all the way in his Miami debut.

An undrafted linebacker from Florida, Moon stuck with Baltimore as a member of its practice squad coming out of the preseason and spent the entire 2022 campaign with the Ravens.

Like Miami, which lost to the Buffalo Bills 34-31, Baltimore’s season ended on Sunday in the AFC playoffs. The Ravens lost their Super Wild-Card Weekend game 24-17 to the Cincinnati Bengals.

Cotton and Moon bring to nine the players from Alabama high schools and colleges who have signed reserve/future contracts since the end of the 2022 regular season. The other players include:

· Guard Deonte Brown (Austin, Alabama) signed with the Carolina Panthers.

· Running back Spencer Brown (Mortimer Jordan, UAB) signed with the Carolina Panthers.

· Safety Shyheim Carter (Alabama) signed with the Tennessee Titans.

· Running back Derrick Gore (Alabama) signed with the New Orleans Saints.

· Defensive lineman LaBryan Ray (James Clemens, Alabama) signed with the New England Patriots.

· Offensive lineman Lachavious Simmons (Selma) signed with the Arizona Cardinals.

· Safety Josh Thomas (Montgomery Academy) signed with the Arizona Cardinals.

FOR MORE OF AL.COM’S COVERAGE OF THE NFL, GO TO OUR NFL PAGE

Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.