The Miami Dolphins are reportedly releasing offensive lineman Jamaree Salyer with an injury settlement.
The Miami Dolphins had high hopes for offensive lineman Jamaree Salyer, as he was acquired during the free agency period. Salyer started 40 games with the Chargers and was set to be a potential swing tackle option in South Florida.
Unfortunately, he would suffer a knee injury that was deemed season-ending. Now, the Dolphins are changing course by releasing the lineman with an injury settlement.
This injury settlement will allow Salyer to sign with a new team if and when he is healthy.
Interestingly, a player can resign with the team that released them, given certain benchmarks are met. Salyer would have to wait the amount of time the injury settlement is paid, plus an additional three weeks past the end of the settlement.
This is how the NFL prevents teams from misusing injury settlements to be able to horde health players with a tricky loophole.
All of this to say that the Dolphins could very well end up re-signing Salyer sometime down the line when he is healthy. Considering the need for offensive line depth, this would not be a terrible idea.
Salyer had already pegged himself as a top swing option through the time he spent with the team. He was placed on the season-ending IR on Aug. 16, meaning he still got some good training in with the organization before his injury occurred.
All 32 teams must also cut down their rosters from 90 to 53, so Miami would likely not want to keep him on the roster via the IR or in any other manner.
Miami has some major roster issues in terms of their overall depth, and that was on full display during the team's second preseason game against the New York Giants.
Dolphins head coach Jeff Hafley spoke about that, pointing to depth players needing to get their "detials" right and to remember that they are playing for their futures and roster spots either with the team or elsewhere. That said, there is a big need for linemen, which is why suggering Salyer could return would not be out of the realm of possibility.
Even though the Dolphins also placed Salyer on season-ending IR, his injury settlement clearly points to some strong recovery from the veteran lineman. He plans to sign with a new team once he is fully healthy, but that could still be with Miami.
Either way, Salyer now has a chance to turn things around once he heals from his significant knee injury.
