The Miami Dolphins announced today that they have activated offensive lineman Austin Jackson and tight end Darren Waller off the injured reserve list and waived tight end Hayden Rucci and offensive lineman Kion Smith.
Jackson has appeared in 57 career games with 55 starts — 15 at left tackle, 13 at left guard and 27 at right tackle — in five seasons with Miami (2020-25). He entered the NFL as a first-round selection (18th overall) by Miami in the 2020 NFL Draft after playing collegiately at Southern California.
Rucci has appeared in four career games with the Dolphins (2025). He entered the NFL as an undrafted college free agent with Miami in 2024 and 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.
Smith has appeared in 20 career games with two starts at right guard in two seasons with the Dolphins (2023, 2025). He also spent two seasons on Miami's practice squad (2021-22) and the 2024 season on injured reserve. He entered the NFL as an undrafted college free agent in 2021 with Atlanta, where he spent the offseason and training camp before signing with Miami. He was a three-year starter at Fayetteville State (2016-17, 2019), where he earned first-team All-CIAA honors in 2019.
Waller has appeared in 90 career games with 64 starts in nine seasons with Baltimore (2015-16), Oakland/Las Vegas (2018-22), the New York Giants (2023) and Miami (2025). He has recorded 360 receptions for 4,241 yards (11.8 avg.) and 24 touchdowns in his career. Waller also started one postseason game with Las Vegas and was selected to the Pro Bowl in 2020. He entered the NFL as a sixth-round selection (204th overall) by Baltimore in the 2015 NFL Draft after a collegiate career at Georgia Tech (2011-14), where he appeared in 50 games with 22 starts in four seasons with the Yellow Jackets and recorded 51 receptions for 971 yards (19.0 avg.) and nine touchdowns.
| Name | Pos. | Hgt. | Wgt. | Age | Exp. | College | Hometown | Acq. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Austin Jackson | OL | 6-5 | 310 | 26 | 6 | USC ‘20 | Phoenix, Ariz. | D1b, ‘20 |
| Caleb Johnson | TE | 6-6 | 238 | 33 | 8 | Georgia Tech ‘15 | Acworth, Ga. | T, ’25 (NYG) |
