Grant's Comeback Bid Ends Quickly

The speedy wide receiver was hoping to play in the NFL again after missing the past two seasons because of injuries

Miami Dolphins wide receiver Jakeem Grant (19) runs with the football during the first quarter of the game against the Buffalo Bills at Hard Rock Stadium in 2021. / Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports

Jakeem Grant continues to be haunted by bad luck.

The former Miami Dolphins receiver/returner again finds himself on injured reserve, his comeback attempt with the Atlanta Falcons done after only a few days.

Grant signed with the Falcons just last weekend but he sustained a hamstring injury in one of his first practices with his new team. He could wind up with another team at some point in 2024 if he gets released by Atlanta with an injury settlement.

His signing had come right after the Falcons faced Grant's first NFL team, the Dolphins, in the preseason opener Friday night. Atlanta was in the market for a wide receiver after losing Rondale Moore to a season-ending knee injury in one of the joint practices with the Dolphins at the Baptist Health Training Complex.

Grant last played in the 2021 season and was an unrestricted free agent this offseason. He was a member of the Cleveland Browns the past two years but missed the entire 2022 season with a torn Achilles injury and the 2023 season with a torn patellar tendon, both occurring in the preseason.

GRANT'S GREAT RETURNING CAREER IN MIAMI

Grant played five-plus seasons with the Dolphins after they took him in the sixth round of the 2016 NFL draft, part of a great draft class that included Laremy Tunsil, Xavien Howard, and the recently retired Kenyan Drake.

During his time in Miami, Grant scored five touchdowns on kick returns, three on punts, and two on kickoffs. His best receiving season came in 2020 when he had 36 catches for 373 yards and four touchdowns.

Grant had a punt return and kickoff return for a touchdown in 2018.

Grant was named a second-team All-Pro returner in his final entire season with the Dolphins in 2020 and the following season when he split time between Miami and the Chicago Bears.

The Dolphins traded Grant to the Bears in 2021 for a 2023 sixth-round pick, which the Dolphins subsequently sent to the Kansas City Chiefs as one of the five draft picks as the return in the trade for Tyreek Hill.

CLAYPOOL UPDATE

There also was a development involving another former Dolphins wide receiver, Chase Claypool.

Claypool was released off the Buffalo Bills' injured reserve list with an injury settlement. That will allow him to sign with another team to play in 2024, assuming somebody else is interested in his services.

Claypool was placed on IR earlier this week with a foot injury after an uninspiring performance in training camp, which followed a disappointing stint with the Dolphins last season after he was acquired in a trade from the Chicago Bears.