Bills vs Dolphins 2021: Miami elevates Jamal Perry for Week 2

The Miami Dolphins announced on Saturday the elevation of defensive back Jamal Perry from the practice squad for Sunday’s game against the Buffalo Bills. Perry, who has primarily played cornerback in his three seasons with the Dolphins, worked at safety for a large portion of training camp this year. He has appeared in 28 games for the Dolphins, including, seven starts, with 72 tackles, one interception, and seven passes defensed. He also has 14 special teams tackles.

Perry initially made the Dolphins’ 53-man roster this year but was waived a day later to make roster space for defensive back Elijah Campbell. The Dolphins were awarded Campbell off waivers from the New York Jets following the final round of roster cuts.

Elevating Perry could be an early signal to Miami’s defensive game plan against the Bills. Defensive tackle Raekwon Davis was placed on injured reserve earlier in the week, but the Dolphins did not elevate another defensive lineman to provide depth. Instead, they added a defensive back, which could point to the team’s plan to ensure there are multiple players in the secondary throughout the game to limit Bills quarterback Josh Allen’s targets.

Starting last year and carrying into this season, the league allows teams to elevate a practice squad player to the active roster for game day, without having to sign them to the 53-man roster. The player immediately reverts back to the practice squad after the game, eliminating the requirement of exposing them to waivers prior to re-signing with the practice squad. Players may be elevated twice during the season in this manner before they must be signed to the active roster any other time the team wants to have them available for the game. This is the first elevation for Perry.

The Dolphins host the Bills at 1pm ET on Sunday.