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The Miami Dolphins wide receiver room isn’t fully settled, but it sure is a lot clearer this morning than it was when we woke up just 24 hours ago. One of the big moves made by the Dolphins yesterday to get the roster to yesterday’s trimmed deadline was the decision to place Lynn Bowden Jr. on injured reserve. That decision is going to have long-term ramifications for the Dolphins and Bowden Jr. alike.
The second-year receiver injured his hamstring last week in training camp on what was reported to be a rough landing while adjusting for a reception; and while no official timeline was reported for his recovery, the Dolphins have told us everything we need to know.
By placing Bowden Jr. on injured reserve before the final roster is trimmed to 53 players, the Dolphins are effectively redshirting the year for Bowden Jr. Current roster rules dictate that players can be placed on injured reserve during training camp but only if they remain there for the entire season. Is there a way that Bowden could return this year?
Yes, absolutely.
But for it to happen based on the timing of his designation on IR, the Dolphins would need to come to an injury settlement, terminate Bowden Jr.’s contract and then sign a new contract with the team. The NFL’s rules about being on IR for 3 weeks and being allowed to return at any point afterward is only applicable to players who survive the cut down to the first 53-man roster trim.
And so for Bowden Jr. to take the field in Miami once again, the Dolphins would need to try their luck with fully terminating his contract and renegotiating a new deal from scratch. The more likely outcome? The Dolphins allow Bowden Jr. to take this season in from after, focus on getting his body right and have him back in camp next season when, presumably, the wide receiver room is turned upside down as contracts like Will Fuller and Albert Wilson’s are currently scheduled to be up and they may be on different teams in 2022.