Trade Rumors

Minor NFL Transactions (8/5/26): Dolphins claim TE Jeremiah Franklin off Patriots’ waivers

Pro Football Rumors' midweek roundup notes the Miami Dolphins claimed tight end Jeremiah Franklin off the Patriots' waivers. This update lists other midweek moves and explains possible impacts on New England depth and special teams.

Minor NFL Transactions (8/5/26): Dolphins claim TE Jeremiah Franklin off Patriots' waivers - New England Patriots

Minor NFL Transactions reports from Pro Football Rumors on Aug. 5 include a Patriots-connected waiver claim: the Miami Dolphins claimed tight end Jeremiah Franklin off the New England Patriots’ waivers, per the roundup by Ely Allen. This update summarizes the midweek slate, includes a compact transaction table, and outlines practical roster implications for New England.

Minor NFL Transactions: midweek summary (8/5/26)

Below is a sourced summary of midweek, camp-period transactions reported by Ely Allen at ProFootballRumors.com. The accompanying table aggregates the moves for quick scanning.

Compact one-line takeaways

  • Miami claimed Jeremiah Franklin off New England’s waivers — a low-risk pickup for a developmental tight end and special-teams hopeful.
  • Several teams activated players from NFI/PUP, which immediately affects practice availability and lineups in camp drills.
  • Multiple injury-settlement and IR placements are team-reported medical actions and remain subject to change.

Patriots TE depth and special teams implications

The direct Patriots impact is straightforward: losing Jeremiah Franklin via a waiver claim slightly reduces the club’s margin at tight end and one fewer option for special teams during camp. Patriots starter and veteran presence at tight end, including established contributors like Hunter Henry, keeps the immediate pecking order intact, but camp bodies matter for preseason reps and special-teams units.

In training camp, teams often carry multiple developmental tight ends who double as core special-teams cover players. Franklin’s move to Miami can be read as the Dolphins seeing value in his special-teams potential or positional upside, but Pro Football Rumors’ roundup does not provide the Dolphins’ internal evaluation — only the transaction itself.

From New England’s perspective, the practical responses are limited and routine: keep using camp reps to evaluate remaining tight ends, consider promoting or signing a veteran if injuries arise, or look to the practice squad market after final cuts. Any such follow-up would appear in subsequent official transaction lists and reporting.

Other notable midweek moves that affect AFC East or Patriots scouting

The AFC East dynamic is more about ripple effects than direct, immediate game-plan changes. Still, the following items merit attention for Patriots scouts and coaches:

  • Miami’s claim of Franklin and its interior-DT signings adjust the Dolphins’ camp depth chart, which could influence how New England prepares for divisional matchups if those players stick.
  • The Jets adding tight-end depth and waiving players with injury designations shows ongoing camp churn on opponents New England will face in the regular season.
  • Activations from NFI/PUP lists around the league (such as Corey Bullock and Tyler Conklin) are reminders that practice availability can shift quickly during August.

What this means for the roster and next steps

Practically, waiver claims like Miami’s are low-cost, low-commitment roster moves. For the Patriots, the main consequences are short-term: fewer camp reps for a developmental tight end and a narrower pool for special-teams work. Over the next days, expect the following sequence to be possible:

  • Patriots monitor the waiver wire and practice-squad market for other tight ends or special-teams contributors if they want to replace camp depth.
  • Players waived with injury settlements or placed on IR may re-enter the market when healthy; clubs frequently circle back to familiar names in late August and early September.
  • Further transaction roundups and official league logs will confirm where players land once teams set rosters ahead of final cuts.

What remains unclear

Pro Football Rumors provides the transaction list and team-reported designations, but it does not supply independent medical confirmation or a team’s internal reasoning for a given claim. Items listed as waived with injury settlement or placed on IR should be treated as team-reported statuses that can change.

Specifically for Jeremiah Franklin, the Dolphins’ objective in claiming him (special-teams depth, developmental upside, or other reasons) is not spelled out in the transaction notice; future roster moves or practice reports are the best way to understand whether Miami intends to keep him long-term.

Source attribution

This roundup is based on the transaction post by Ely Allen at Pro Football Rumors (Minor NFL Transactions: 8/5/26). For the original list and full context, see: https://www.profootballrumors.com/2026/08/minor-nfl-transactions-8-5-26. All injury-related notes are team-reported and cited as such.

Written by

Mara Ellison

Mara Ellison covers New England Patriots roster construction, contracts, salary-cap strategy, free agency and trade activity for Patriots Report. Her work examines how individual transactions affect positional depth, short-term flexibility and the organization’s long-term personnel plan. She also tracks signings, releases, waiver claims, contract restructures and other roster moves that shape New England’s active lineup.

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