A six-pack of Dolphins notes on a Thursday, heading into Sunday’s game at Carolina (1 p.m., WSVN-Fox 7):
▪ When teams have a roster spot to fill on short notice, they often gravitate to players who have been with them before. So it wasn’t a surprise that the Dolphins, since late August, have filled four roster spots with players who had previous stints with the team.
Kendall Lamm and Jeff Wilson Jr. – who were added to the active roster and practice squad, respectively, in late August – played for the Dolphins last season. Cedrick Wilson Jr. — who signed this week to help replace the injured Tyreek Hill — played for the Saints last season.
But the team’s July signing of former Dolphins sixth-round pick Cornell Armstrong was different, and eyebrow-raising, because Armstead hadn’t appeared in an NFL game since the 2022 season.
Two months later, rookie Jason Marshall Jr.’s hamstring injury has thrust Armstrong into a significant role. He was the Dolphins’ No. 3 corner and shared nickel/slot duties with safety Minkah Fitzpatrick in Monday’s game against the Jets.
And he’s supremely appreciative of this opportunity to revive his career, after going 32 months between regular season games and after spending last season at his home in Dallas, waiting for his phone to ring.
“Overjoyed and grateful for the opportunity,” he said at his locker this week. “I’m thankful I kept praying and got the opportunity to play ball again. It’s a dream come true all over again. God restored my career, and I got an opportunity to play here and it has been a blessing ever since.”
Armstrong has achieved more than many sixth round picks, appearing in 39 games and starting four.
The 209th overall pick of the 2018 draft, Armstrong had eight tackles in 15 games as a Dolphins rookie, playing 268 snaps on special teams and 83 on defense.
But he was cut by the Dolphins just before his second season and spent two seasons with Houston (playing only 53 total defensive snaps). He missed the 2021 season with an injury, then appeared in nine games for Atlanta in 2022, finishing with 33 tackles and seven passes defended and playing a career-high 373 defensive snaps.
He started four games, the only starts of his NFL career that year, but couldn’t build on that success, beginning the 2023 season on injured reserve before the Falcons released him a week later.
For a while, it seemed as though a Week 18 Atlanta-Tampa Bay game, on Jan. 8, 2023, might be the final game of his career.
After the Falcons released him, he spent much of 2023 on the Raiders practice squad and spent 2024 and the NFL’s 2025 offseason program out of the league entirely.
But the Dolphins, who needed cornerback help, never forgot him, signing him just before the start of training camp. General manager Chris Grier, who was instrumental in draft Armstrong, gave him a hug when he arrived for his second tour with the team.
He quickly surpassed veteran Mike Hilton Jr., began the season on the practice squad, then was promoted to the active roster before the second game.
Armstrong has played well in 40 defensive snaps the past two games, allowing only two completions for 20 yards, per Pro Football Focus.
“He has been exceptional,” cornerbacks coach Mathieu Araujo said Thursday. “What a great addition to our room and team. His work ethic is amazing.”
“They believed in me when I came out of college,” he said. “Being back here, I want to give them all I’ve got.”
Armstrong, 30, spent last season in Dallas, helping prepare high school players for college football. He began doing that when a former teammate at Southern Mississippi suggested that Armstrong could help his nephew, who played high school football in the Dallas area.
“It kept me in the game, kept my drive going as well,” he said. “I had nothing going on, was chilling, waiting on a call [from an NFL team]. I figured I could go out there and help somebody. It kept me active and my mind sharp.”
How difficult is it to motivate yourself to stay in NFL shape when you’re out of the league?
“It’s a drive I have growing up, coming from a small town school,” said Armstrong, who grew up in Bassfield, Miss/ (population 182). “All I know is work. I always had that drive since I can remember.” ▪ There was no change to the Dolphins’ injury report on Thursday. Receiver Cedrick Wilson Jr. (knee) and cornerback Storm Duck (ankle) remained out. Tight end Darren Waller (hip/rest) and cornerback Ethan Bonner (hamstring) remained limited.
▪ Mike McDaniel’s high regard for receiver Malik Washington was evident in this unsolicited comment this week:
“Malik had always been accelerated in his ability to play at a high standard. It’s not many rookies that are drafted in the sixth round that catch what would end up being a game-winning corner route against a very good opponent in the Los Angeles Rams when you’re 2-6 [last November] and you’re trying to get a win. Not many guys are cut from that cloth where they can have that competitive greatness that young; he’s always been ahead of the curve in that way.
“He was able to carve out a place within our offense as a rookie… He’s been more of a feature this year and will have some more opportunities now.” ▪ De’Von Achane has had a glorious start to his career, averaging 5.5 per carry and scoring 26 touchdowns in 32 games (15 on the ground, 11 in the air).
But McDaniel said his performance against the Jets might have been his best yet:
“I thought he’s always been adept at taking advantage of space and getting close quarter and open space yards, but I thought this past game was his best performance maximizing every opportunity given. You can tell he was… seeing the defense very well. There were three or four plays that he made within the scheme that I hadn’t seen within the scheme and I’ve been in a scheme for two decades.”
▪ The Dolphins had success with designed rollouts for Tua Tagovailoa in Monday’s win against the Jets, but offensive coordinator Frank Smith said there are pros and cons with those plays, which often feature a play-action component.
“It’s part of manipulation of… the defense,” Smith said. “As [the quarterback] move away [from the receiver], it’s challenging, because it’s great a distance to throw to the opposing area. You want to balance those.”
▪ Fan criticism of Tagovailoa on social media was particularly harsh during the 0-3 start, but quarterbacks coach Darrell Bevell said he has not needed to cheer him up. Bevell has no indication that Tagovailoa is aware of fan backlash.
“I haven’t seen him dis-spirited the past few weeks,” Bevell said. “It’s more the mindset of, ‘where can I make the corrections?’ It hasn’t been [a situation] where he’s lost confidence or been down.”
Tagovailoa always dazzles when he makes the no-look behind-the-back flip to a teammate, as he did on a run by Washington during Monday’s win.
“He really enjoys those plays,” Bevell said. “He’s does such a great job of any ball handling we ask him to do. He’s amazing at it.”
Here’s my Thursday piece with Tyreek Hill’s preference for next season, a candid coaching assessment of Kenneth Grant and more.