The Miami Dolphins have brought back Dominican tackle Bayron Matos for another look this year, and they once again will have the benefit of him not taking up one of their practice squad spots.
The NFL granted Matos an international exemption Monday, meaning the Dolphins can keep him on the practice squad without him counting against the 16-player limit on that unit. The exemption, however, does not apply if Matos were to be moved to the active roster.
Matos joined the Dolphins last offseason as an undrafted free agent after playing basketball at the University of South Florida following some time as a baseball pitcher.
The 6-foot-8 Matos is an intriguing athlete who obviously was very raw and nobody knows when or if he'll ever become an NFL-capable offensive lineman.
The Dolphins went down this path a few years back with Brazilian player Durval Queiroz Neto, who spent three years on the team's practice squad after arriving as part of the International Player Pathway program.
After three years, the Dolphins let Queiroz go and his dream of playing in an NFL regular season game ended.
Before spending the entire 2024 season on the Dolphins practice squad, Matos did get some playing time in the preseason, though not a lot.
He appeared in Miami's three games and totaled 17 snaps on offense with 11 more on special teams. His busiest outing came in the preseason opener against the Atlanta Falcons when he played eight snaps on offense and five on special teams.
Matos then was among the 12 players on the practice squad at the end of the 2024 season that the Dolphins signed to a future contract.
BAYRON MATOS AND HIS NFL ASPIRATIONS
When he spoke to reporters during the offseason program last year, Matos explained that he studied the game through recently retired NFL offensive tackle Tyron Smith, who is his favorite player.
"I watch that guy a lot," he said. "Watching that guy play is watching art."
Matos said he ultimately chose the Dolphins after receiving different offers as a rookie free agent because he liked offensive line coach Butch Barry, Miami's player development, and the weather.
The 6-foot-7, 313-pound Matos is intriguing from a measurable standpoint. Matos has speed to go with his immense size — he ran a 4.88 40-yard dash.
Matos said that playing in the NFL is one of his "goals in life."
"Man, I feel good to be here," Matos said. "(The Dolphins) gave me this opportunity to be here, I'm really grateful for that. I know (that) not a lot of people take a shot on a guy that never played the sport before.
"I want to be one of the first Domnicans to play in the NFL," he said, "and my goal is to be one of the best tackles to play in the NFL."
