The offensive line is the biggest question mark for the Miami Dolphins going into training camp. Will the starter at left guard be third-year veteran Dallas Thomas, or will it be rookie guard Jamil Douglas? Will Billy Turner be able to lock down the right guard spot like he was expected to, or will veteran lineman Jeff Linkenbach overtake him?
Perhaps the true solution does not involve any of those individuals. The team is constantly looking for ways to improve, and there is a player out on the open market - not named Evan Mathis - who might be able to fight for a starting spot should he be brought in to compete. A former third-round draft pick of the Seattle Seahawks in 2011, John Moffitt was a star back in college for the Wisconsin Badgers, and started nine games for the Seahawks as a rookie before being injured against the Baltimore Ravens. Moffitt's career ran into more trouble when he ran into trouble with performance enhacing drugs, and he was suspended for four games as a result. He was intended to be traded to the Cleveland Browns on August 19, 2013, but one day later the trade was withdrawn when reports came out that Moffitt had failed his physical with the Browns. Moffitt later claimed that it was because he refused to take a pay cut the Browns were trying to force on him, and they failed his physical in retaliation. Moffitt then got traded to the Denver Broncos on the same day in exchange for defensive tackle Sealver Siliga, and he retired from the NFL in November of the same year, claiming he was unhappy and didn't want to risk his health for money. Now the former Broncos guard has unretired, and at 28 years of age, still has the potential to be a good starting guard in the NFL. The Broncos released him and he officially cleared waivers on Thursday, which makes him eligible to sign with any NFL team. While Moffitt may have sincerely been unhappy, the reasons behind it may not have had anything to do with football. Moffitt has had several run-ins with the law during and after his career - being charged with possession of marijuana, cocaine, and ecstacy, as well as an assault charge - and it eventually led to him going into rehab to try and solve his problems. A few days ago, Fox Sports' Jay Glazer, who trains professional athletes like Moffitt, took to Twitter to say some encouraging words about the now unretired guard. "I have never been so proud of a guy I've trained than I am of John Moffitt," Glazer wrote on Twitter. "Retired two years ago (because) he knew he had drug issues, took time to go to rehab, clean up his life, beat his demons and he has taken his life back! Guy inspires us every day. He came to me three months ago at (Glazer's gym) Unbreakable to train to take his career back. He's become the favorite of every player in our gym. He officially un-retired today. Free agent starting guard. So proud of him to get here." Glazer went on to say that he believes that Moffitt will once again become a starting NFL guard once teams realize he has taken care of any off the field concerns that might come to mind, and he is totally committed to playing football. Moffitt's story is truly an inspiring one, and he should be a great story if and when he signs with an NFL team. The question is, should the Dolphins be the team that signs him? If the Dolphins fail to sign Evan Mathis, then the team should be willing to see if Moffitt has truly gotten his life back together, and give him a chance to prove he can still be a starter in the league. If he shows off the kind of talent he has within him, it wouldn't take long for Moffitt to overtake the likes of Thomas and possibly Douglas. The only issues are the numerous off the field problems, and he seems to have taken every necessary step to remove those from the equation. It will be interesting to see what course of action the Dolphins take going forward. This story was written by Luis Sung. Follow him on Twitter: @FLSportDebater
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Latest Dolphins NewsStory Archives
February 2021
|