The NFL's final roster cuts delivered a gut-punch and a lifeline to Furman wide receiver Ryan Miller in the span of a few days — and he's heading into the 2026 regular season still employed.
The New York Giants waived Miller as they trimmed their receiver room ahead of the preseason finale, a move that threatened to end his NFL run before it truly got started. But the Miami Dolphins didn't let him sit on the wire for long. Miami claimed Miller off waivers on Tuesday, adding the former undrafted free agent to their active roster.
The Dolphins' decision came with some cost — the club cut a 2024 draft pick to make room — which underscores that this wasn't a casual, depth-filler move. Miami saw something worth a real roster spot in the Furman product.
For Miller, the waiver claim is the kind of second chance that separates players who make it from those who don't. Going undrafted is already a long shot; surviving a cut from one team only to land on another's 53-man roster is rarer still. The Paladins have sent players to the league before, but keeping one there through the chaos of late August is an achievement worth noting.
There's no stat line to point to yet, no highlight reel moment — just a name on a depth chart that matters. Miami's wide receiver room will be competitive, and Miller will need to carve out a role on special teams and as a situational pass-catcher to stick. But he gets that shot, and that's the story heading into Week 1.
Elsewhere in the Furman alumni landscape, Mason Pline remains on the Kansas City Chiefs' roster at tight end, and Micah Robinson continues to hold a spot in the Tennessee Titans' secondary at cornerback. Neither generated major news during the period, but three Furman alumni on NFL rosters as the regular season opens is a number the Greenville program can wear with pride.
Miller's journey — small-school product, undrafted, waived, claimed — is the kind of grind-it-out NFL story that resonates. The Dolphins believed he's worth a roster spot. Now he has to prove them right.
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