MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. – The Miami Dolphins announced they have released safety Joshua Kalu from the practice squad and signed defensive tackle Byron Cowart and safety Verone McKinley III to the practice squad.
Cowart has played in 36 career games with 14 starts for two different franchises – New England (2019-20) and Indianapolis (2022). He's recorded 41 tackles (19 solo), 1.0 sack and one pass defensed. Cowart originally entered the NFL as a fifth-round pick (159th overall) by New England in the 2019 NFL Draft. Cowart played collegiately at Maryland (2018) and Auburn (2015-17).
Kalu joined Miami's practice squad on Aug. 31, 2023 and has spent five seasons in the NFL, including four with Tennessee (2018-20, 2022) and one with the N.Y. Giants (2021). He's appeared in 44 career games with five starts, totaling 50 tackles (31 solo), one interception, six passes defensed and two forced fumbles. He also has 18 career special teams tackles (15 solo). Kalu has played in four playoff games with the Titans. He originally entered the NFL as an undrafted college free agent with Tennessee on May 11, 2018 after playing collegiately at Nebraska.
McKinley has played in 10 career games with two starts, all for the Dolphins in 2022. He's totaled 16 tackles (10 solo), one interception and one pass defensed. McKinley originally entered the NFL as an undrafted college free agent with Miami on May 13, 2022. He was a three-year starter (2019-21) at Oregon, where he earned first-team All-American honors as a junior in 2021.
| Name | Pos. | Hgt. | Wgt. | Birthdate | Exp. | College | Hometown | Acq. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bryon Cowart | DT | 6-3 | 300 | 5/20/96 | 5 | Maryland '19 | Tampa, Fla. | FA, '23 |
| Verone McKinley III | S | 5-10 | 190 | 6/29/99 | 2 | Oregon '22 | Carrollton, Texas | FA, '22 |
