The Miami Dolphins' most troublesome position took a hit this week when the team released linebacker Chase Winovich with an injury settlement. Winovich, who was on Miami's practice squad, had been elevated up to the game day roster three times this season, mainly working on special teams, and his ability to play outside linebacker helped ease the absence of Jaelan Phillps, who has missed three games because of a back and torso injury. The nature of Winovich's injury is unknown, but his settlement will likely account for how many games he would have missed because of the injury. It's possible that he could re-sign to Miami's practice squad when healthy, but the fact he's no longer eligible for practice squad promotions could be a factor in that decision. The Dolphins signed former Prairie View A&M standout Quinton Bell to take Winovich's place on the team's 16-player developmental squad. Bell was a 2019 seventh-round pick of the Oakland Raiders, and has had practice squad stints with the Raiders, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2020), and Atlanta Falcons (2021-22). He spent training camp with this week's opponent, the Philadelphia Eagles, but didn't make it onto anyone's 53-man roster, or practice squad until now. Interestingly, Bell played receiver for three seasons at Prairie View A&M before moving to defense as a senior to give himself a shot at the NFL.
He was with the Eagles for 10 days during August, I wonder if he knows any of the playbook. Going from receiver to LB seems like a weird transition.
Winovich only had 5 defensive snaps. If he wasn't progressing up the depth chart, then moving on from him and allowing him to find another team seems as a fair way to treat a vet. Cameron Goode was also elevated from practice squad for special teams and is now on the active roster. He seems to have taken defensive snaps from Winovich. Does anyone know how he plays? Quinton Bell likely adds special teams depth. With the practice squad rules, he can fill in for another player, such as an injured active player as Chris Brooks for up to 3 games per season.
