Another day, another flier on a former top-100 selection by the Miami Dolphins. This time the Dolphins are taking a shot on former New England Patriots offensive tackle Antonio Garcia — who was a 3rd-round pick in the 2017 NFL Draft. Garcia, who was designated to the injured reserve list as a rookie due to blood clots in 2017, failed to make the Patriots’ roster in 2018 and has since spent time with the New York Jets (2018) and the Indianapolis Colts (2018-2019). The Dolphins signed Garcia to their practice squad yesterday afternoon.
Garcia spent a lot of last season on the Colts practice squad working under now Dolphins offensive line coach Dave DeGuglielmo — valuable not only for Garcia’s development as a player but for his personal connections, helping him land in Miami after a 4-game suspension to start the 2019 season.
Garcia was cut by the Colts during cut downs to the 53-man roster — a move undoubtedly exacerbated by the fact that Garcia would be forced to sit the first four contests of 2019 on account of a failed drug test — which was announced back in early June of 2019.
Garcia has talent — he was undersized coming into the NFL and the blood clots in his lungs eventually forced him to lose up to 40 pounds during that 2017 season, something he’s been battling against ever since. The Dolphins are a good spot for him as he continues to try to restart his pro career, as he’ll likely get an opportunity to play at some point this season when the Dolphins’ low level offensive line once again needs reinforcements.
