Dolphins Cutting Eight Players Including LB Benardrick McKinney

August 30, 2021

The Miami Dolphins have begun trimming their roster down to 53 players on Monday before tomorrow’s deadline.

The full list of roster cuts for the Dolphins includes:

DB Tino Ellis
S Nate Holley (Tom Pelissero)
RB Jordan Scarlett (Barry Jackson)
WR Khalil McClain (Barry Jackson)
LB Tyshun Render (Barry Jackson)
FB/TE Carl Tucker (Barry Jackson)
C Matt Skura (Ian Rapoport)
LB Benardrick McKinney (Ian Rapoport)

McKinney, 28, is a former second-round pick of the Texans back in 2015. He was in the final year of his four-year, $5.3 million contract when he agreed to a five-year, $50 million extension with $21 million guaranteed with Houston back in 2018.

The Texans traded McKinney to the Dolphins this past March in exchange for OLB Shaq Lawson.

McKinney was set to make base salaries of $7 million and $8.75 million over the next two years of the agreement when he agreed to a pay cut last month.

In 2020, McKinney appeared in four games for the Texans and recorded 37 tackles, no sacks and a pass defense.

Skura, 28, wound up signing on with the Ravens as an undrafted free agent out of Duke back in 2016. He was waived coming out of the preseason and later signed to the team’s practice squad before returning to Baltimore on a future/reserve contract the following offseason.

Skura was eventually promoted to Baltimore’s active roster in September of 2017. He returned to the Ravens on an original-round restricted deal worth $2.133 million in 2019 and re-signed on a one-year deal in 2020. He signed a one-year deal with the Dolphins for the 2021 season.

In 2020, Skura appeared in 15 games and made 12 starts for the Ravens at center. Pro Football Focus rated him as the No. 34 overall center out of 36 qualifying players.

Ellis went undrafted out of Maryland back in April of 2020. He later signed a three-year, $2.28 million contract with the Saints, but was placed on waivers with an injury designation in training camp.

Ellis later reverted to the Saints’ injured reserve after clearing waivers but was eventually waived with a settlement before the start of the 2020 regular season. He then signed on to the Dolphins’ practice squad in October, and later signed a futures contract with the team in January.

During his college career at Maryland, Ellis recorded 73 tackles, an interception, a forced fumble, a recovery and 21 passes defended over the course of four seasons and 32 games.