The Dolphins have waived James, Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald reports.

EDGE Analysis

With James -- who fumbled a kickoff return in Sunday's win over Washington -- no longer in the Dolphins' backfield mix, look for newcomer Jonas Gray to move in the team's No. 3 RB role behind Lamar Miller and Damien Williams.

James (chest) is listed as the starting punt and kick returner on Miami's initial regular-season depth chart, the Miami Herald's Armando Salguero reports.

EDGE Analysis

James is only third on the depth chart at running back, behind Lamar Miller and Damien Williams. Even with Jay Ajayi (ribs) on short-term injured reserve, James will likely have a minimal or non-existent role in the offense to start the season, as Williams is the clear No. 2.

James left Saturday's game with a chest injury, reports Miami Herald's Armando Salguero.

EDGE Analysis

This injury is poor timing for James as he may have actually been in the lead for the backup job behind Lamar Miller. James may ultimately still win the role but it should be just a matter of time until Jay Ajayi takes it.

James re-signed with the Dolphins on Friday, Andrew Abramson of the Palm Beach Post reports. The former second-round draft pick spent two games with Miami in 2014, gaining nine yards on just three carries. The Dolphins have a shaky running back group behind Lamar Miller, but there's still no guarantee James will have a significant role, or for that matter even make the final roster. It wouldn't be surprising to see Miami target a running back in the middle rounds of the 2015 NFL Draft.

James had little to no impact with the Dolphins as he only rushed the ball three times for nine yards. James was signed for depth once Knowshon Moreno went down for the season but never got a chance to make his mark in Miami. There is always a chance he comes back next season but that would seem unlikely at this point in time.

James has been added to the Dolphins' active roster, the Palm Beach Post reports. With Lamar Miller currently dealing with a shoulder issue, James will provide the Dolphins with added running back depth behind Damien Williams and Daniel Thomas.

James has been added to the Dolphins' practice squad, Adam Caplan of ESPN reports. Though he won't be added to the 53-man roster immediately, James could ultimately earn a promotion with the Dolphins short on running back depth with Knowshon Moreno out with a fractured elbow. The former second-round pick rushed for just 184 yards over 15 career games with the 49ers, before asking for his release after the first game of the season.

James worked out with the Dolphins on Tuesday, according to the Miami Herald's Armando Salguero. The Dolphins are a little light at running back right now with Knowshon Moreno (elbow) out for 4-8 weeks and Lamar Miller (ankle) day to day. James left without a contract however but could be an option later on this season.

James cleared waivers Tuesday and is free to sign with any organization, CSN Bay Area reports. James' request for another chance elsewhere has come to fruition, but it remains to be seen which running-back needy team will take a chance on the 24-year-old. In two-plus seasons with the 49ers, he racked up 41 carries for 184 yards (4.5 YPC) and five catches (on eight targets) for 45 yards across 15 outings.

The 49ers have released James, sfgate.com reports. The 2012 second-rounder was decidedly behind Frank Gore and Carlos Hyde in the 49ers' RB pecking order, with the move paving the way for him to catch on elsewhere. The report suggests that James is a candidate to be claimed by another team looking to bolster its backfield and given the right situation, James could emerge as an in-season pickup candidate in deeper formats.