Dolphins add safety Major Burns, cut Kion Smith, waive Carter Warren with injury designation

The Miami Dolphins have agreed to terms with safety Major Burns and simultaneously moved on from two offensive linemen, according to a report from Pro Football Rumors. The transactions, announced on the league calendar in June, underscore how the Dolphins are using the offseason to test depth options and refine the non-star parts of the roster.

Burns joins Miami after spending time with the Chicago Bears as an undrafted free agent last year. Pro Football Rumors reported that he was seen in Chicago during the offseason, which typically means a player is evaluated during training-camp-style periods and practice opportunities rather than arriving with a proven regular-season résumé. For Miami, the move is less about a headline starter and more about building insurance in the defensive backfield, where competition for nickel and depth roles can be a season-long process.

On the offensive line, the Dolphins released Kion Smith. The report does not attach a specific reason, but roster cuts of this type are common during offseason roster management, when teams can shift practice-squad and camp invitations to players they view as better fits for scheme, technique, or availability.

The Dolphins also waived offensive lineman Carter Warren with an injury designation, the report said. An injury designation generally indicates that the team is separating the player’s status from the active roster due to health, though the exact medical context is not provided in the report. Waiving a player under this designation is a mechanism teams use while working through injury-related roster rules.

For Miami, the net effect is a turnover in the pipeline of developmental offensive line depth, paired with an added piece in the defensive back group. Safety additions are particularly relevant in a modern NFL defense because injuries and matchups often push rotations, and depth players are expected to contribute on special teams and in base-to-sub packages.

The timing also matters. Early offseason movement is when teams often hedge against unknowns that can emerge later, including voluntary workouts, conditioning progress, and how veterans and rookies look when the full playbook comes into view. Without additional team statements or verified official transaction details, some specific motivations, such as scheme fit or health updates, should be treated as unknowns beyond what has been reported.

Going forward, the key question is whether Burns can turn the signing into a sustained role through the offseason program and training camp. For the offensive line, Miami’s watch item will be who arrives to replace the production of Smith and Warren at the depth level, and how quickly the Dolphins’ camp competition stabilizes after these personnel changes.