The Miami Dolphins continue to move pieces around on their roster in what is increasingly looking like a lost season.
On Tuesday, that meant signing a guy named Shaka Heyward, with the news coming from NFL reporter Aaron Wilson.
Heyward comes with multiple points of intrigue beyond just the fact that he’s a young and athletic linebacker.
How Dolphins Got Shaka Heyward From Bengals
The first point of intrigue here is that Heyward was already under contract with the Cincinnati Bengals.
The key, though, is that Heyward was on Cincinnati’s practice squad.
A player can be signed to a 53-man roster from another team’s practice squad. It’s essentially like a promotion, with the NFL not wanting to stifle talented players from getting stuck on practice squads in perpetuity.
So the Dolphins used that ability to grab Heyward from the Bengals.
Shaka Heyward Details
Heyward is a 6-foot-3 linebacker who is originally an undrafted free agent from Duke.
He has suited up for 18 total NFL games, all with the Bengals.
In six games in 2024, Heyward had six tackles, including one for a loss, as well as a forced fumble.
Then in 12 games in 2025, Heyward made 16 total tackles.
Shaka Heyward Family
Heyward is the cousin of Pittsburgh Steelers star defensive lineman Cameron Heyward.
That also means he’s the cousin of NFL fullback/tight end Connor Heyward. And his uncle is their dad, Craig Heyward.
#Dolphins signing linebacker Shaka Heyward (6-3, 238) off #Bengals practice squad to 53-man roster, per a league source.
Former undrafted free agent @DukeFOOTBALL has 22 career tackles, one forced fumble.
Cousin of Cam and Connor Heyward@KPRC2 pic.twitter.com/rh8QrbsxhE— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) September 29, 2026
Dolphins Roster Needs
The Dolphins are a little thin at linebacker, which is why this move seems to make sense.
They’ve got a solid leader at middle linebacker in the second-round rookie Jacob Rodriguez, who is backed up by Jackson Woodward. They’ve also got Jordyn Brooks and Willie Gay Jr. to play alongside Rodriguez. But they actually don’t have another linebacker on the 53-man roster before the Heyward signing.
They planned on having the veteran Ronnie Harrison Jr. and the rookie Trey Moore as part of the linebacking group this season, but both are currently on injured reserve.
As far as proving himself, Heyward could hardly have landed in a better spot. There’s certainly opportunity to be had here if he’s able to seize it.
Of course, the Dolphins are already 0-3, and De’Von Achane is now out for the season, so the team as a whole could be in for a rough rest of the year. But that does create openings for unheralded players to show that they belong in the NFL.
Dolphins Sign Bengals Player, Cousin of Steelers Star