The Miami Dolphins announced today they have elevated tight end Hayden Rucci and cornerback Kendall Sheffield to the active roster for Sunday's game.
Rucci entered the NFL as an undrafted college free agent with the Dolphins in 2024 and has had multiple stints on Miami's practice squad. He played collegiately at Wisconsin, where he appeared in 36 games with 18 starts during four seasons (2020-23). He caught 17 passes for 200 yards (11.8 avg.) and one touchdown for the Badgers and was a three-time Academic All-Big Ten selection in 2020, 2021 and 2023.
Sheffield has appeared in 49 career games with 20 starts with Atlanta (2019-21), San Francisco (2023), Tennessee (2023), the New York Jets (2024) and Miami (2025). He has totaled 108 tackles (77 solo), six passes defensed and two forced fumbles in his career, along with six special teams tackles (four solo). Sheffield also spent time on the practice squad with Dallas in 2022 and spent part of the offseason program and training camp with Miami in 2025. He appeared in Miami's Week 7 matchup at Cleveland. Sheffield entered the NFL as a fourth-round selection (111th overall) by Atlanta in the 2019 NFL Draft. He played the last two seasons of his collegiate career at Ohio State (2017-18), where he appeared in 28 games with 17 starts and recorded 75 tackles (58 solo), two interceptions, 19 passes defensed, two forced fumbles and one fumble recovery. He transferred from Blinn College, in Brenham, Texas, following the 2016 season.
| Name | Pos. | Hgt. | Wgt. | Age | Exp. | College | Hometown | Acq. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hayden Rucci | TE | 6-5 | 247 | 24 | 1 | Wisconsin ’24 | Lititz, Pa. | FA, ‘24 |
| Kendall Sheffield | CB | 5-11 | 200 | 29 | 5 | Ohio State '19 | Missouri City, Texas | FA, '25 |
