Ten Dolphins who must convince the coaches.

Perry, Ford need to convince coaches they’re worth keeping

DAVIE — Instability is at the core of the NFL’s employment history, so in the beginning of September nearly 1,200 aspiring professional football players will become unemployed as teams trim rosters, cutting their 90-man training camp rosters down to 53 for the regular season.

And making the initial cut on Sept. 1 doesn’t guarantee anything because it doesn’t mean a player is safe and has a home with an NFL team for the season.

By my count the Dolphins have 40 players who will safely make it onto Miami’s 53-man regular-season roster if they don’t suffer an injury or their performance doesn’t take a nosedive in the next few weeks. That leaves 50 or so players battling for 13 spots on the roster, and the team’s 10 practice squad spots.

Here’s a look at 10 players on the bubble as training camp and the preseason progresses:

Quarterback David Fales — Fales’ efficient practices have allowed him to outshine Brock Osweiler in their battle to determine who becomes Ryan Tannehill’s backup. Osweiler’s accuracy issues, and bad habit of producing turnovers, has created value in Fales’ consistency, and knack for taking care of the football. In Miami’s first preseason game Fales produced a 106.2 passer rating while Osweiler delivered a 58.2. But Miami’s coaches stress that this battle isn’t over, and that these two quarterbacks will continue rotating in and out of games with the winner being the player who delivers the most scoring drives.

Tailback Senorise Perry — Perry’s a fast, scrappy, tailback who consistently makes the most of his opportunities on offense and special teams. Against the Buccaneers last week Perry gained 35 yards and scored a touchdown on four carries. His future depends on whether or not Miami decides to keep three or four tailbacks on the 53-man roster because Kenyan Drake, Frank Gore and rookie Kalen Ballage are ahead of him.

Receiver Isaiah Ford — Ford has had some impressive moments, including last Thursday night’s exhibition game against the Buccaneers, where he scored a fourthquarter touchdown and a 2-point conversion. The biggest concern about Ford is his durability, but the Dolphins would like to keep him around so he could spend a year learning how to play slot from Danny Amendola. Miami could develop him on the practice squad, but he’d need to clear waivers, which is risky.

Receiver Leonte Carroo — Carroo is no higher than seventh on the receiver depth chart, and that’s only because of his status as a former third-round pick. But if we’re being honest, Rashawn Scott and Francis Owusu have made more plays than him during training camp. Carroo needs a productive preseason to extend his stay in Miami because the Dolphins have younger receivers they can invest in. Tight end A.J. Derby — Derby began training camp as the starting tight end but his foot injury opened the door for Mike Gesicki, the Dolphins’ 2018 second-round pick, to leapfrog him on the depth chart. Derby needs a strong performance as a blocker and pass catcher, and his fate depends on whether or not Miami decides to keep four tight ends on the 53-man roster because MarQueis Gray should be safe, and Miami’s not cutting Gesicki and Durham Smythe, the team’s 2018 fourthround pick.

Offensive guard Isaac Asiata — The Dolphins’ 2017 fifth-round pick has had a respectable camp, redeeming himself from a rough rookie season. But the former Utah standout might get caught in a numbers game because Miami will likely keep eight or nine offensive linemen on the 53-man roster, and the tough decision comes down to Asiata or backup center Jake Brendel, who has missed all but one training camp practice with a calf injury. Asiata will need to continue mauling defenders at the line of scrimmage, and creating running lanes to extend his stay.

Offensive tackle Eric Smith — Smith’s strong preseason showing last year earned him a spot on Miami’s 53-man roster, but Zach Sterup has leapfrogged him as the backup left tackle. Smith needs to prove he deserves a continued investment by putting together solid preseason games, and showing he has the versatility to play both tackle spots, and maybe move inside to guard.

Safety Maurice Smith Smith made the Dolphins’ 53-man roster as an undrafted rookie out of Georgia last year, and had worked his way into the starting lineup late last season. But the week he was elevated up the depth chart his appendix ruptured and he was placed on injured reserve. This camp he’s working to lock down a role on the second-team defense, competing with Jordan Lucas, Trae Elston and Walt Aikens for one of the five or six spots reserved for a safety on the roster. The contributions Smith makes on special teams will also determine his future. Linebacker Mike Hull Hull’s scrappy nature not only earned him the nickname “Scrap,” but it’s kept the undrafted player around the past three seasons. Problem is, Chase Allen and rookie Quentin Poling were ahead of him on the depth chart, and that was before Hull sprained the medial collateral ligament in his left knee. Hull might be placed on injured reserve to buy him some recovery time, but that decision doesn’t have to come until Sept. 1.

Cornerback Tony Lippett — Lippett was expected to compete with Cordrea Tankersley for the starting cornerback spot opposite Xavien Howard in his return from the Achilles tendon injury that sidelined him for all of 2017. But his training camp practices have been so inconsistent he’s fallen down the depth chart, and is in danger of not making the final cut unless he’s one of the team’s top-five cornerbacks. An ankle injury will likely force him to miss his second preseason game, but Miami’s coaches need Lippett to give them a reason to keep him instead of rookies Cornell Armstrong and Jalen Davis.