The Miami Dolphins are adding linebacker Andre Jones Jr. directly from an AFC East rival, signing him off the Buffalo Bills’ practice squad and onto Miami’s active roster.
NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo reported the move Monday, and NFL.com included it in its league news roundup. Jones reunites with Dolphins special teams coordinator Chris Tabor, who worked with him in Buffalo last season.
The transaction is not a headline-level overhaul, but it is the kind of early-season roster move that matters for a team looking for immediate help on defense and special teams after an 0-2 start.
Why Andre Jones Jr. is more than a practice-squad swap
Because Jones was on Buffalo’s practice squad, Miami has to sign him to the 53-man roster rather than simply move him to its own practice squad. That makes this a real active-roster commitment rather than a developmental flyer.
Jones, 27, entered the league as a seventh-round pick by Washington in 2023. He later joined Buffalo and appeared in three regular-season games for the Bills in 2025, recording five tackles.
His most obvious immediate value is on special teams. Reporting from A to Z Sports noted that Jones played across multiple kicking-game units in Buffalo and logged 44 special teams snaps during the 2025 regular season, in addition to limited defensive work as an edge player.
The Chris Tabor connection gives Miami a clear reason for the move
Garafolo reported that Jones is reuniting with Tabor in Miami. Familiarity can matter on an in-season pickup because special teams assignments often require a player to learn multiple roles quickly and execute them with very little practice time.
That connection also helps explain why Miami targeted Jones specifically instead of waiting for a broader free-agent workout. The Dolphins already have a coach who knows how Jones fits and what he can handle.
Miami has been active around the bottom of the roster as injuries and an 0-2 start force the club to look for workable depth. FSN recently covered the Dolphins placing Ronnie Harrison Jr. on injured reserve and adding Liam Anderson, another example of the churn taking place around the defense and special teams.
What Jones can give the Dolphins on defense
Jones has primarily been used as an edge defender when he has played on defense. At 6-foot-5 and around 258 pounds, he gives Miami another body who can align outside the tackle and contribute to pass-rush and contain responsibilities in limited packages.
He was not elevated for either of Buffalo’s first two games this season, so the move does not represent Miami taking away a major rotation player from the Bills. It does, however, remove a developmental edge defender from Buffalo’s practice squad while adding a player with NFL special teams experience to Miami’s active roster.
A short runway before Week 3
The immediate question is whether Jones will be active in Week 3 and how quickly the Dolphins can integrate him into the kicking game. His prior work with Tabor should help shorten that learning curve.
For Miami, the bigger point is roster functionality. The Dolphins do not need Jones to transform the defense; they need him to fill snaps, improve special teams depth and give the coaching staff another usable option while the roster continues to shift.
Why the AFC East angle matters
Practice-squad signings from division rivals are not rare, but they carry extra familiarity. Jones has recent experience in Buffalo’s organization and now moves directly into Miami’s building under a coordinator he already knows.
Buffalo, meanwhile, loses its only practice-squad edge defender, according to A to Z Sports. That may prompt the Bills to refill that developmental spot in the coming days.
For the Dolphins, this is a modest transaction with a straightforward purpose: add an experienced special teams piece and edge defender to the 53-man roster now rather than waiting for a later injury or depth problem to force the move.