The Miami Dolphins have released tight end Ben Sims from injured reserve with an injury settlement, ending a brief tenure that never produced a regular-season snap in South Florida, via the NFL transaction log.
Sims, 26, entered the NFL in 2023 as an undrafted free agent out of Baylor after the Minnesota Vikings signed him following the draft.
Waived at final cuts that summer, he was claimed by the Green Bay Packers and spent most of the next two-plus seasons there as a blocking specialist and special-teams contributor.
The Packers waived him in October 2025; Minnesota claimed him again, and he finished that year with the Vikings.
Across 45 career games and eight starts through 2025, Sims recorded 11 receptions for 93 yards and one touchdown. At Baylor he had been a more productive receiver, finishing as the program’s all-time leader in tight-end touchdown catches with 12.
Miami signed him in March 2026 to a one-year deal worth about $1.33 million, including a $187,500 signing bonus, after allowing Julian Hill to leave in free agency. New general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan knew Sims from his time as Packers vice president of player personnel.
The hope was that the 6-foot-5, 250-pound tight end would provide in-line blocking depth behind Greg Dulcich and younger additions. He never got the chance.
Sims was waived/injured on August 31 as the Dolphins trimmed to 53, reverted to injured reserve when he went unclaimed, and was then released from IR with a settlement on September 10.
The move carries limited cap impact. Only the signing bonus was guaranteed, so Miami’s dead-money hit is modest.
For Sims, the settlement frees him to sign elsewhere once healthy, continuing a journeyman path that has already taken him through Minnesota, Green Bay, and now Miami in four professional seasons.
Dolphins tight end depth now leans on Dulcich, draft picks, and practice-squad options as the 2026 season begins. Sims’ release is a reminder of how quickly roster math and injuries can close a window, even for a veteran who has proven durable enough to appear in 45 games.
Whether another team values his blocking and special-teams experience will determine the next chapter of a career that began as an undrafted long shot in 2023.
