On Aug. 31 all NFL teams had to finalize their respective rosters, trimming them down to a final 53 players. Although Miami went defense-heavy with its final cuts, most notably seen in it keeping just three running backs, the Dolphins have high expectations in a revamped offense when they take the field Sunday in Foxborough.

Dolphins Roll with Tagovailoa, Brissett

At quarterback, Miami finalized and kept Tua Tagovailoa and Jacoby Brissett. But not No. 3 Reid Sinnett, who ended up clearing waivers to land on the Dolphins' practice squad.

Tagovailoa will start against the New England Patriots and newly-named starter, and former teammate, Mac Jones. The Dolphin signal caller enters his second season and first as a full-time starter.

Miami Shocks, Keeps Just Three Active Backs

For RB, Miami went bold.

The Dolphins kept No. 1 Myles Gaskin, No. 2 Malcolm Brown and No. 3 Salvon Ahmed. Doing so created the waive of both Patrick Laird and 2021 seventh-round pick Gerrid Doaks. 

It looked as though Laird and Doaks would fight for a spot, but in the end, both were axed. However, both ended up on Miami's practice squad.

Dolphins Keep Expected Number of Receivers

At wide receiver, Miami kept six wideouts. The Dolphins are expected to start DeVante Parker, Will Fuller and Jaylen Waddle Nos. 1-3 respectively beginning in week two after Fuller's suspension is lifted, as expected. Additionally, they kept Preston Williams, Albert Wilson and Mack Hollins. 

It was reported Miami could keep six or seven WRs, but it ended up going with the lower after multiple ended up on season-ending injured reserve and the Dolphins going through their rounds of cuts. 

Allen Hurns and Lynn Bowden Jr. are out for the season with respective injuries and Malcolm Perry was waived after being an odd-man-out on the team. You'll see him week one however, as he was scooped by the Patriots and did not clear waivers. 

Gesicki Again Headlines Growing TE Room

The tight end position seemed straightforward, keeping all four present in camp. Miami did just that. Mike Gesicki, Adam Shaheen, Durham Smythe and Hunter Long appear on the active roster after final cuts. However, Shaheen will not dress for Sunday's contest after testing positive for COVID-19. Per the NFL's new rules in 2021, he must be out a minimum of 10 days, overlapping with the season-opener. 

Additionally, to a little bit of a surprise, Miami kept TE Cethan Carter. However, he will be mostly used on special teams - and maybe a blocker. 

Miami Finally Finalizes Offensive Line

For the offensive line, the Dolphins seemingly had a revolving tryout that didn't get decided until the final day.

Miami elected to keep guard Michael Deiter, tackle Robert Jones, right guard Solomon Kindley, utility lineman Greg Mancz, right tackle Robert Hunt, left tackle Austin Jackson, tackle Liam Eichenberg, utility lineman Greg Little, and utility lineman Jesse Davis. 

The utility lineman ousted guys like center Matt Skura and tackle Larnel Coleman who couldn't add enough skill to the line in a time of need where Miami is still rebuilding its line. 

Furthermore, Jackson is in danger of missing the opener after also testing positive for COVID-19. He has a chance to play, and is not on the same timeline as Shaheen, but the option of the utility lineman give the Dolphins an easy substitute that they wouldn't have had in Skura or Coleman.

Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. eastern.

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– Alessandro Senatore is a Sports Contributor for Full Press Coverage Miami Dolphins who specializes in the NFL Draft and fantasy sports. Like and follow on and Facebook.

– Kayla Morton is the Managing Editor for Full Press Coverage Miami Dolphins. She is also competing in the national #SFB11 -- if you'd like to make a donation with her please reach out to her via Twitter. Like and follow on and Facebook.