Dolphins’ Bayron Matos Airlifted to Hospital After Training Camp Injury

Miami Dolphins offensive lineman Bayron Matos was taken to the hospital via helicopter after suffering an injury during training camp. 

Matos, 24, sustained the undisclosed injury on Wednesday, July 23, at the team’s camp facility in Miami Gardens, Florida. 

The NFL player was airlifted to Ryder Trauma Center at Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami, where he remained overnight for evaluation and testing. 

An update about Matos’ condition was given by the Dolphins on Thursday, July 24. 

“He has movement in all extremities and is in stable condition,” the team shared via social media. “He will remain in the care of doctors for continued observation.”

Matos’ agent, Perlesta Hollingsworth, told the Miami Herald on Wednesday night that the lineman “has an above the shoulder type injury,” but wasn’t clear if it impacted his neck or spine. 

“He ran into a defensive lineman when his head was lowered and took the brunt of the impact,” Hollingsworth said.

The agent said Matos’ girlfriend and some family members are with him in the hospital, and his mother plans to fly in from Matos’ native Dominican Republic. 

“It’s a really heartbreaking part of the game,” Dolphins offensive lineman Austin Jackson said on Wednesday. “Very tough.”

Matos moved from the Dominican Republic to the United States at the age of 16 to pursue a basketball career. 

He eventually played for the University of New Mexico Lobos from 2019 to 2021 before transferring to the University of South Florida, where he played the 2021-2022 season. 

Matos joined the South Florida football team in 2022, where he saw action in two games. 

In January 2024, Matos was selected for the NFL’s International Player Pathway Program, aimed at giving opportunities to foreign players. 

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Matos was signed by the Dolphins as an undrafted free agent in April 2024, eventually being assigned to the practice squad. He signed a reserve/future contract with the team in January and has yet to see action in an NFL game. 

In a documentary titled Bayron Matos: El Gigante de Los Mina, released earlier this year, Matos opened up about his journey to the league. 

“I was born and raised in the Dominican Republic,” Matos said. “I come from Los Mina, which is a tough place. But I always loved watching sports.”

Matos added, “I never played football growing up. I want people to talk about who I am and what I’ve accomplished.”