MIAMI GARDENS — Miami Dolphins offensive tackle Bayron Matos was injured during the first practice of training camp and taken away by helicopter to a hospital. According to the Dolphins, he is in stable condition.
Matos was immobilized and strapped to a board before being carted off the practice field by first responders. Fellow offensive linemen grouped around out of concern for their teammate.
Matos is the team’s international player — he’s from the Dominican Republic — and does not count toward the roster limit.
It is unclear how he was injured or what his specific injury is.
Matos, who is 6-foot-7, 334 pounds, grew up in the Dominican Republic before moving to the United States in high school where he played basketball. He played college basketball for the New Mexico Lobos and South Florida Bulls from 2019–22, before switching to football in 2022. He started on defense but was switched to the offensive line.
Matos was upbeat during a session with reporters in May 2024, flashing a nonstop smile and joking about how the only English he knew when he arrived in the United States was “I’m hungry.”
Surveying a large, curious media contingent he’d drawn, he said, “Man, it feels good to be here, all this love. Look at y’all. That’s good. I love that. Man, it’s opportunity. They gave me the opportunity to be here. I’m really grateful for that. Not a lot of people take a shot on a guy that never played the sport before. And what the organization saw, one thing: the work ethic. Respect. And give everything I have on the field.”
Matos is a participant in the NFL’s International Player Pathway Program (IPPP), having signed with the Dolphins in 2024. Established in 2017, the program gives players a chance to earn a roster spot while not counting against the 16-man practice squad limit during the season.
“I want to be, first of all, one of the first Dominicans — the best Dominican to play in the NFL,” Matos said.
Matos did not appear in any games in 2024. He was added to the practice squad last August, then signed to a reserve/future contract by the Dolphins in January.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Miami Dolphins’ Bayron Matos injured at training camp, taken off field by helicopter
Reporting by Hal Habib, Palm Beach Post / Palm Beach Post
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
