Let's jump right to the chase: the Miami Dolphins have waived/injured former Badger Mason Reiger in a wild turn from Sunday to Tuesday. On Sunday, he was able to make a splash sack in his first NFL preseason game, getting to the quarterback unabated. He was even featured in a clip on the Dolphins' social media account.
Then on Monday, he was listed as not practicing, and on Tuesday he was waived. A frustrating turn to a promising start. Reiger was listed as one of the standouts at times for the Dolphins, and many experts were predicting him to be one of the UDFAs for the Dolphins to make the 53-man roster. Now, he's gone.
The Dolphins could be hoping he passes through waivers and then they can place him on the IR, but they also could just be letting him go. It's a change from where things sat just two days ago, and now Reiger, arguably the most likely candidate of all the 12 UDFAs from the Wisconsin Badgers this season to make an NFL roster, is one of the first to be waived.
Mason Reiger's injury was undisclosed and the Dolphins may be looking to put him on the IR
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Reiger was projected to be drafted by many NFL Draft pundits, but he fell out of the draft completely, and most assume it's because of injury concerns. Which, if Reiger is truly already hurt, that label may have been right for him. For he only made it through one game, and even that was in spot play, as Week 1 of the NFL preseason sees a lot of players rotating in and out.
The Dolphins spend absolutely zero time in their press release about the release explaining or detailing how/where/in what way Reiger is injured. It doesn't seem like the Dolphins beat reporters have quite picked up on that either. Reiger's next step will be to await the word on the waiver wire. He will either be claimed by another team, without much awareness about his injury, or will clear, and the Dolphins can place him on IR, or he can simply become a free agent and a UDFA all over again.
The clock is ticking for the former Badger as the preseason will end with just two more games, and the roster churn is getting serious. If he wants to make an NFL roster, he is going to have to find a way back on the field. If he's injured in a way that will keep him out, that will make it impossible, but if it's just a way for the Dolphins to add another preseason body while Reiger nurses something, then he may hope to find another chance on a new team.
Read also: Buffalo Bills cut former Badger Jackson Acker in stunning reversal of direction
It's hard to know with the NFL not needing to report, and Reiger being an UDFA (so the media attention is lower). But for now, Reiger's NFL dream took a really unfortunate and potentially frustrating turn.
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