Vincent Taylor Cut by the Miami Dolphins

The deadline for NFL teams to trim their rosters to 53 came and went on Saturday afternoon with no bad news coming to Vincent Taylor, the third-year defensive tackle from Oklahoma State. But, apparently, that did not mean he was safe.

In a somewhat surprising move, Miami Dolphins’ brass waived Taylor, the team announced Monday.

Taylor never became a featured linemen in Miami’s front and dealt with two major injuries in his first two seasons. But when he saw the field, he made an impact.

The former All-Big 12 standout graded out as one of the best defensive linemen in the league, and he brought his knack for blocking kicks to the pros.

Vincent Taylor earned strong grades over his first two seasons in the league:

2017 – 84.1 overall (185 snaps)
2018 – 76.3 overall (204 snaps)

*In that time Taylor racked up 28 defensive stops and missed just 1 tackle #Dolphins #FinsUp https://t.co/O0zAbQaSTZ

— PFF MIA Dolphins (@PFF_Dolphins) September 2, 2019

When he was placed on the injured reserve list midway through last season, he was the No. 2-rated D-lineman in the NFL, according to Pro Football Focus.

Buzz coming from South Florida seemed to indicate that Taylor didn’t fit what new head coach Brian Flores and new DC Patrick Graham wanted to do scheme-wise. Still, releasing a developing, highly-graded prospect still on a rookie contract seems to be an odd move.