Miami Dolphins OL Bayron Matos airlifted to hospital after training camp injury
Miami Dolphins offensive lineman Bayron Matos was injured Wednesday on the first day of training camp.
The team said Matos, 24, was airlifted to the Ryder Trauma Center at Jackson Memorial Hospital after suffering an injury at the end of the practice. While they did not disclose the nature of the injury, they did say he was stable.
Team medical staff tended to Matos for more than 10 minutes on the field before air rescue arrived, according to CBS News Miami's partners at the .
"It's a really heartbreaking part of the game," said Dolphins offensive lineman Austin Jackson. "Very tough."
Football was a late choice
Matos, born in Los Mina, Santo Domingo, moved to the United States from the Dominican Republic when he was 17, initially for "basketball, to learn English, learn the culture," according to the Miami Herald.
A two-sport athlete in basketball and baseball in his youth, Matos only started playing football three years ago. In 2022, he walked on to the University of South Florida football team with no prior experience. He appeared in two and games never saw action again, according to the Miami Herald.
Matos signs with Dolphins
He went undrafted in 2024 but signed with the Dolphins as a free agent through the NFL's International Player Pathway Program — an initiative that gives athletes from countries outside the U.S. a chance to play in the NFL.
The Dolphins signed Matos 16 months ago for a guaranteed $247,500, according to the .
He spent last year on Miami's practice squad. In January, he signed a reserve/future contract. He has yet to play in an NFL game.
