Digging deeper into the players put on injured reserve

Written by Matthew Cannata | Twitter: @PhinManiacs
Three young players were placed on injured reserve yesterday without a designation to return. Unfortunately, for them, their season ended almost just as quickly as it began. Mike Gillislee, Arthur Lynch and AJ Francis were all placed on this list and all three of them have the potential to become solid NFL players. Why were they placed on injured reserve though? Let's look.

Francis, who had been steadily improving as of late, had his left knee scoped after injuring it in the game against the Atlanta Falcons. Francis was projected to make the team as a backup in the defensive tackle rotation.

Gillislee, who was fighting for a roster spot with a decent chance to make it, strained his hamstring in the first practice after the Falcons game. He hasn’t practiced since and thus, the Dolphins ended his season.

Lynch, a 2014 fifth-round draft pick, has been battling a back injury that he suffered during the team’s OTA sessions back in the spring. While he has been limited in practice, the Dolphins felt that they should put him on injured reserve and help him heal.

Some have suggested that the Dolphins placed these three players on injured reserve a bit prematurely but did so in an effort to stash them away so no one can claim them. Had the Dolphins decided to keep them in an effort to get healthy but then end up trying to get them on the practice squad, the Dolphins would’ve risked losing them to another team. Instead, all three will get a chance to sit back, get stronger and learn from the sidelines for the 2014 season.

---