3 Dolphins players in danger of losing their jobs before Week 8 gets here

The Miami Dolphins will have decisions to make before they return to the field of play in Week 7, but they will also have decisions to make by Week 8 when Tua Tagovailoa is supposed to be back on the field after the concussion he suffered early on this year vs. the Bills.

There are two reasons players lose their jobs in the middle of the season – They are playing poorly and their roster spot is needed. For the Dolphins, it’s a mix of both with these three players that could be spending their last couple of weeks on the 53-man roster.

Miami could have used part of what they are paying Duke Riley to keep Andrew Van Ginkel. It would have at least lessened the cap hit. The Dolphins instead thought going the cheaper route was the right way to go, but Riley isn’t giving Miami a reason to keep him around.

Penalties and mental errors have been his consistencies this year. He is still not playing as physically as he needs to be and when he is on the field he is a liability. It would be one thing if he were a standout on special teams, but he isn’t any better than anyone else. The reality here is that Miami can let him go and they won’t be any worse defensively.

The Dolphins like Skylar Thompson, and no one really knows why other than the fact that he is a great teammate. After three years, he isn’t any better than he was when he was drafted. Maybe he needs a little more poise running out of the pocket. It seems the Dolphins and head coach Mike McDaniel have made their decision as to who will start while Tua is out. That will be Tyler Huntley. When Tua comes back, the Dolphins are not going to keep three quarterbacks on the active roster.

Miami will (hopefully) make room for Tua by releasing Thompson. The hope would be he clears waivers, which shouldn’t be a problem considering his play this year. Thompson would come back to the practice squad, but after the season, he would be better off looking somewhere else for work.

There is no reason for Julian Hill to remain on the Dolphins roster, at least not on the 53. What does McDaniel see in him exactly? Miami could release him and stash him on the practice squad, where he can continue to develop if they even think he should be there.

Hill is not playing good football and the Dolphins don’t need him. Jonnu Smith is far better than Hill and Miami should be giving Hill’s reps to Tanner Conner. There are too many mental errors that are no longer acceptable. He needs to develop more, just not on the active roster.