Two-time Pro Bowl pass rusher Shaquil Barrett retired in July, days before the Miami Dolphins were scheduled to begin training camp. While he changed his mind earlier this week and requested immediate reinstatement, it was denied by the Dolphins.
Instead of activating Barrett from the team's reserve/retired list or releasing the pass rusher so he can come out of retirement elsewhere, with the Dolphins . By keeping him on their reserve/retired list, the Dolphins guaranteed that the former Denver Broncos and Tampa Bay Buccaneers player will not play at all in 2024.
“I'm just talking [general manager] Chris [Grier]and where our squad stood and which players earned the right to be there [the roster]” Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel said Friday night after a 30-17 loss. “The NFL is about numbers. I don’t think the timing was necessarily ideal.”
By activating Barrett, the Dolphins would have had to release a player to make room for the pass rusher on the roster. This could be a difficult decision, as the eventual return of linebackers Bradley Chubb and/or Cameron Goode from the PUP list could potentially push two more players off the 53-man roster.
But criticized the Dolphins for not parting ways with Barrett to allow him to play elsewhere.
“Like I said, we just found out one day that I had a press conference with you guys and it was more of the same,” McDaniel said. “It wasn't a question of whether he wanted to play there or here. He knew we had his contractual rights, so it was more our stand and let’s look at our squad.”
The Dolphins are near the bottom of the NFL, with Chubb yet to play a game this season and Jaelan Phillips missing the year with a season-ending knee injury. While first-round rookie Chop Robinson had an outstanding November, Miami barely fell short in a Thanksgiving loss to Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love.
Barrett, 32, led the nfl with 19.5 sacks in 2019 and recorded 4.5 last season.
