Miami Dolphins general manager Chris Grier has the known reputation for taking on players with an injury history. Grier's concept of the idea is to sign these types of players to a discount in hopes that they can play at a high level while staying healthy.
However, this strategy has rarely worked for the Dolphins, and the team has been consistently filled with injury concerns for the better part of three years now.
Nevertheless, Grier's latest signing of wide receiver Cedrick Wilson Jr. is another example of him bringing in players with an injury designation.
Miami Dolphins knowingly signed Cedrick Wilson Jr. with injury designation
Following the gruesome injury to Tyreek Hill that will leave him out for the rest of the season, it made sense that Grier and the Dolphins' front office wasted no time in bringing in Wilson.
It made even more sense that it was Wilson, who had been in the building before and had worked in head coach Mike McDaniel's offense, with experience catching passes from quarterback Tua Tagovailoa.
Hill is, arguably, Miami's best receiver in team history, and no player on the open market was going to come in and replicate what he can do. Wilson's signing, however, was generally a smart play to help fill the void with a veteran who won't need to learn the offense from scratch.
I myself even commended the move, which admittedly is not something that happens often with Grier's decision-making.
A day later, though, it came to fruition that Grier's signing of Wilson became the latest in the Miami GM's habit of bringing in players nursing or coming off a recent injury.
According to the Miami Herald's Barry Jackson on Wednesday, McDaniel announced that Wilson will not practice this week with his new team.
The Dolphins head coach said that Wilson had a "minor procedure" on a knee injury that he's been dealing with -- to which they knew about prior to signing him off of the New Orleans Saints practice squad.
It's really no surprise that Wilson wouldn't play this week for Miami. After all, he was just signed on Tuesday, with already a short turnaround for the team after playing Monday night.
Had he been fully healthy as was presumed, it would be understandable for him not to suit up against the Carolina Panthers this week. But Wilson's arrival with a knee injury opens additional questions for the Dolphins that didn't need to be necessary.
It's possible Wilson will be ready for Week 5 when Miami takes on the Los Angeles Chargers at Hard Rock Stadium. It's also possible he won't be ready for another four weeks, a la Darren Waller. And it's also possible Wilson won't play a down all season.
Because that would be so on brand for the Dolphins under the Chris Grier era.
While Miami can call it a "minor procedure" for Wilson (and maybe it was), it's another vague comment that we've grown accustomed to with this organization. We can take it with a grain of salt whenever this team discusses injuries.
Just recently, the Dolphins kept a mysterious injury to Waller away from us all offseason before initially labeling it a hip issue that forced him to miss the first three weeks. Yet, following his two-touchdown debut with Miami, Waller admitted that he actually blew out his quad within the first two weeks of training.
Now down their best offensive player in Hill, the Dolphins obviously want Wilson out there as soon as possible. Grier specifically, though, needs him out there more than anyone. Because if Wilson isn't available against the Chargers, more questions will begin to be asked -- and they'll grow continuously. Potentially to the point where we're more worried about it than he is.
While attempting to sign players at a discount may seem like a smart play, it's a risky one. And for Miami, the risk has indisputably outweighed the reward.
Along with poor draft selections and a myriad of other questionable decisions, Wilson's signing could be yet another sign that it's time for the Dolphins to move on from Grier.