Clelin Ferrell having the opportunity to face his former team was very much in doubt when the Miami Dolphins released the veteran at the NFL roster deadline. But Ferrell will get the chance to see the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday after all.
The Dolphins announced Saturday it has elevated Ferrell from their practice squad to the active roster for Week 1. Miami will visit the Raiders at Allegiant Stadium on Sunday, September 13 for the 2026 season opener.
The Raiders picked Ferrell at No. 4 overall in the 2019 NFL Draft. He played the first four seasons of his career for the Raiders.
With the elevation, Ferrell will be making his Dolphins debut. Besides the Raiders, he’s also played for three other NFL teams in his career.
“Ferrell initially signed with Miami on July 27, 2026, and spent training camp with the team,” Miamidolphins.com wrote. “He has appeared in 98 career games with 57 starts in seven seasons with Oakland/Las Vegas (2019-22), San Francisco (2023, 2025), Washington (2024) and the Los Angeles Chargers (2025), recording 181 tackles (95 solo), 21.0 sacks, 12 passes defensed, four forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries.
Last season, Ferrell posted 25 combined tackles, including four for loss with five quarterback hits in nine games for the Los Angeles Chargers and San Francisco 49ers.
Dolphins Elevate Clelin Ferrell from Practice Squad for Week 1
NFL rules are permitted three elevations per practice squad player per stint on the squad during the regular season. The maximum amount of elevations for each player is then unlimited in the playoffs.
The Dolphins will use one of Ferrell’s promotions in Week 1.
Ferrell should be plenty motivated to face his former team. The Raiders didn’t bring back the defensive end on a second contract, which started his journey around the league.
Granted, the Raiders were more than justified in not re-signing Ferrell. Most draft pundits considered him a late first-rounder, and yet the Raiders selected him in the top 5. Ferrell then didn’t live up to his top 5 hype.
In four seasons with the Raiders, Ferrell posted 10 sacks with 105 combined tackles, including 15 for loss. He also had 32 quarterback hits and 11 pass defenses in 58 games.
As MiamiDolphins.com indicated, Miami added Ferrell late in the offseason — really just as training camp was beginning. He didn’t make the team’s roster after the preseason, but the Dolphins signed him to their first practice squad.
Ferrell will join Chop Robinson, Rob Beal Jr., Malik Herring, and Josh Uche as Miami’s edge rushers on the active roster for Week 1.
The Dolphins have won four of the past five contests against the Raiders dating back to 2018. The winner (assuming it isn’t a tie) of Sunday’s contest will break the all-time series’ tie.
Before Sunday, the Dolphins-Raiders series sits at 21-21-1.
The Dolphins defeated the Raiders 34-19 in the most recent matchup during the 2024 campaign. Las Vegas, though, won the most recent showdown in the series at Allegiant Stadium.
Dolphins Add Former Top 5 Pick to Active Roster for Raiders Game