What Ryan Hayes’ Return Could Mean for the Dolphins’ Roster

Hes back! Once again former Michigan Wolverine Ryan Hayes is back with the Miami Dolphins after a surprise move.

Just a couple of months after the team had agreed to an injury settlement for him, they went back to get the 24-year-old on their books, which raised eyebrows and presented many questions about what they are doing.

Rosters can impact betting decisions in all sports.

Things like injuries, team news and line-ups count for a lot in football tips , ice-hockey predictions and of course, NFL betting lines as well.

Now that Hayes is a Dolphin again, what potential impact is that going to have on the player and the franchise for the rest of the season? Where Did He Go? Hayes was picked up by the Miami Dolphins in the 7th Round of the 2023 NFL Draft.

But he never made it any further than his initial rookie training camp, so was put on waivers where the Indianapolis Colts took a chance on him.

After just three weeks with the Colts, they sent him to the waivers where he headed back to the Dolphins.

He stuck with them for the season on the practice squad and there has been a similar cycle to his 2024 as well.

Hayes was cut after the 2024 rookie camp and this time when he wasnt picked up by another team, he ended up on Miamis injured reserve which only lasted a few days before he was cut loose after an injury settlement was decided.

That meant that he was a free agent and now nine weeks on from that, the tackle is back with the Dolphins on their practice squad.

Where to Now? So where is the Ryan Hayes and Miami Dolphins relationship story likely to lead next? Hayes won All-Big Ten honors twice and clearly had some potential to tap into.

While that seems to be a long way from being realized because of all his movement, the 6 6, 303-pound offensive tackle still has a big goal to motivate him making his first NFL appearance.

Is that likely to happen during NFL 2024? No.

Although he has been elevated to the first team before, such as in December 2023 against the Titans, he has yet to appear in a game.

Hayes will be hoping that its third time lucky with the Dolphins, but there is little room on the Dolphins roster to change the unlikely outcome of him making his pro debut this year.

The Injury What set his progress back in 2024 was a football injury during pre-season.

How close would Hayes have come to making the cut had that not happened? We may never know.

The Dolphins had their hands tied a little because of him going on IR when they did, so they made a decisive move to cut him.

But the willingness to snap him back up after that hints that they still clearly see something in the 24-year-old.

Getting one chance in the NFL is hard enough for many players, but Hayes keeps on trucking.

Draft Prospects Hayes was picked up 238th overall in the 2023 NFL Draft after having spent four seasons at Michigan, moving from tight end to left tackle along the way.

The scouting notes about Hayes at the time cited him as being an intelligent blocker, but with doubts about his size and strength in terms of being a starter.

With 32.5-inch arms, thats typically a lot shorter than the expected 34 inches required by NFL coaches for offensive tackles trying to step up to the top level from the collegiate scene.

Potential size limitations dont discount Hayes chances altogether, and it could mean that he moves inside to play guard in the future.

Hayes was part of a Michigan offensive line that won the Joe Moore Award for best in college football for two seasons running when playing left tackle.

But thats a world away from the NFL of course.

Its unlikely that the Dolphins ever saw a future starter in him.

Thats not likely what he was selected for, instead, Hayes was drafted for valuable depth.

Whether that value materializes now on his third stint with the team remains to be seen..

This article has been shared from the original article on dolphinstalk, here is the link to the original article.