DAVIE, Fla. -- First-year Miami Dolphins general manager Dennis Hickey faces a lot of pressure to not just shape the roster to be able to form a cohesive and competitive unit but also to turn the team's fortunes around after six frustrating years under predecessor Jeff Ireland.
After daily evaluations of many roster hopefuls during the course of training camp and four exhibition games, Hickey and his staff have completed just one hurdle towards rebuilding this team in his vision.
The soft-spoken GM met with reporters at their practice facility a day after the Dolphins completed the complex task of finalizing their squad. He expressed just how difficult these cuts were, while stressing that the roster remains fluid as they continue to work on completing their 10-man practice team.
"It's really one of the tougher weekends just because you have so many players who have invested so much into our organization with their time, with their work and their passion, and they've been committed to us," Hickey said. "Unfortunately, we can't keep them all, so it's a tough weekend having to try to narrow it down and make those tough decisions. But we worked hard at it."
The decision process continued onward Sunday with Hickey's announcement that the team was awarded safety Brandian Ross and defensive back Sammy Seamster off waivers to bolster its secondary. To make room, Miami terminated the contracts of wide receiver Damian Williams and waived safety Don Jones.
Cornerback was a position of need for the Dolphins, and the team needed an extra body at safety with starter Reshad Jones suspended for the first four games of the season. With the release of Williams (not to be confused with the running back Damien Williams) and Saturday's waiving of Marcus Thigpen, all signs point to rookie Jarvis Landry being their featured returner. Hickey, however, was noncommittal on who the team is leaning towards at the moment.
Ross played with the Oakland Raiders for the past two seasons, tallying 115 tackles and two sacks in 30 games. Seamster represents the sixth undrafted rookie to make the team after he spent the preseason with the Baltimore Ravens. Hickey explained how his scouts, as well as his pro and college personnel staff, zeroed in on them.
"That was through a lot of film study," Hickey said. "We felt like they provided both as positional players but also as special teams as a big part of their value."
With a roster featuring 12 rookies -- half of them undrafted -- Hickey clearly felt the team needed an infusion of fresh blood with the bonus of retaining some cap flexibility for the future. He repeatedly stressed that those who made the final team were judged simply on merit and what they did in camp.
"All of those first-year players when they come in, we said, 'Look, it doesn't matter how you got here. It's up to you. You make of it what you will and then we'll be watching,'" he said. "The credit goes to those players because they've proved themselves over a period of time, but the credit goes to them. They earned it."
Despite the hard times it has faced the past several years, the franchise and its fans are more than ready for a new era of excellence. Hickey believes that time is now, and it starts with players showing the right attitude.
"What makes me confident about this team is the guys in that locker room," Hickey said. "Having the chance the last seven months, my initial reaction was positive and it's just been confirmed on every point. These guys are committed to winning, they're passionate and they've paid the price. They're excited to take the field at home and go to work."
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