Unlikely: Three star players criticizes Mike McDaniel.
The Miami Dolphins posted on social media on Friday that they have signed 12 undrafted free agents. The team had spent the last two weeks putting together some deals for nearly a dozen undrafted free agents, but waited until the completion of the 2024 NFL Draft to make things official. This news comes just a few days after the announcement of Miami signing Odell Beckham Jr. to a one-year deal.
The 12 players signed to the Miami Dolphins come just in time for the start of Dolphins rookie camp. The dozen players will be joined by Miami’s seven draft picks, but only the 12 signed are the ones officially under contract for the 2024 season.
Matos played in just two games with South Florida in 2022, but was on their basketball team as well where he played 28 games with four starts and averaged 1.5 points per game. He signed with the Dolphins as part of the NFL’s International Player Pathway Program.
The IPPP is a program developed to increase the number of players outside of the US and Canada to play in the NFL. This provides athletes the opportunity to play in the league, furthering the amount of talent that teams can look at for adding to their rosters.
Matos is more familiar with basketball, lacking severely in the sport of football. He will not count against the 90-man roster due to the IPPP.
In over three seasons (2021-2023) with Florida Atlantic, Je’Quan Burton played in 34 games wehre he had 84 receptions for 1,277 yards and nine touchdowns. Burton spent the 2020 season at Iowa Central Community College after spending two seasons at Southern Illinois University.
Gavin Hardison spent five seasons (2019-2023) at UTEP with his last season being cut short due to having Tommy John surgery. In his time at UTEP, he competed 570-of-1,061 passes for 7,963 yards and 40 touchdowns.
Hardison also played five games at New Mexico Military Institute in 2018, where he threw for 408 yards and four touchdowns. He was named an honorable mention All-Conference USA in 2021.
Storm Duck spent four seasons in North Carolina before spending his final season at Louisville. At NC, he was named second-team All-ACC honors after posting 46 tackles, five interceptions, one forced fumble, and 12 passes defensed. At Louisville, Duck played in 12 games with four starts, recording 32 tackles.
Isaiah Johnson started his collegiate career at Dartmouth (2018-2021) where he earned first-team All-Ivy League honors in 2021 after he had recorded 55 tackles, seven passes defensed, and one interception returned for a touchdown. Johnson spent his last two seasons at Syracuse where he played in 25 games with 19 starts, totaling 115 tackles, nine passes defensed, two interceptions, and one forced fumble.
Only one of three Buckeyes to do it in history, Matthew Jones was a five-year letterwinner for Ohio State (2019-2023). He played in 53 games with 29 starts, earning second-team All-Big Ten honors in both 2022 and 2023.
