The Miami Dolphins added offensive lineman Germain Ifedi on Sunday.
The Miami Dolphins added offensive lineman Germain Ifedi on Sunday, adding depth to a line that saw starting right tackle Austin Jackson injured on Friday. Ifedi was one of five offensive linemen to tryout for the Dolphins on Saturday. Ifedi joined the team on the practice field on Sunday, wearing number 62.
The Dolphins officially announced the move shortly before practice, indicating they had waived quarterback Brett Gabbert to make the move.
Miami also announced they had removed safety Ifeatu Melifonwu from the non-football injury list.
Ifedi was the most recognizable name among the five tryout offensive linemen Miami hosted on Saturday. He was joined by Zack Bailey, Yodny Cajuste, Chris Hubbard, and David Sharpe. Ifedi was a first-round draft pick by the Seattle Seahawks in 2016, selecting him out of Texas A&M. He spent four years with Seattle before signing as a free agent with the Chicago Bears for the 2020 and 2021 seasons. In 2022, he joined the Atlanta Falcons before a brief 2023 stint with the Detroit Lions. After being released by the Lions at the end of the 2023 preseason, the Buffalo Bills signed Ifedi, splitting time during the season on the active roster and the practice squad. In 2024, he started the season on the Browns’ practice squad before being promoted to the active roster. He has played in 117 games, including 90 starts, in his career, primarily playing right tackle with some guard experience. He played in 15 games, with seven starts, last year with the Browns, adding left tackle to his repertoire.
Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel updated the status of Jackson during his press conference on Sunday, alleviating some of the fears of when the tackle will be able to return. “He got the injury playing football. He got stepped on. It has nothing to do with anything but that,” McDaniel explained of what happened to Jackson and removing any fears of the injury being related to the knee injury that cost Jackson playing time in 2024. He went on, before turning toward a timetable for a return, saying, “The bottom line for me, where he is at, of all the guys, I would say, he had some time off, he knocked some rust off, he got back and, in my opinion, exceeded where he was playing before. We are fortunate that timetable doesn’t seem to be into the regular season…Austin is projected to be starting week one, so a good day for the Dolphins.”
The Dolphins next open practice for the public is in Illinois when they join the Chicago Bears on Friday before they face off in their Preseason Week 1 game on August 10.