Lynn Bowden placed on injured reserve, 2021 season in jeopardy

Lynn Bowden’s season may be over before it ever begins.

The Miami Dolphins placed Bowden on injured reserved Tuesday afternoon. The former Kentucky Wildcat suffered a hamstring injury in practice last week. It’s the first time Bowden has been sidelined by an injury in his football career.

I’ll be back better than EVER ‼️

— Lynn Bowden Jr (@LynnBowden_1) August 24, 2021

Complicated Injured Reserve Rules

Moving a player to injured reserve essentially is a season-ender. This year there are are exceptions. Due to COVID-19, the NFL is allowing teams to return an unlimited number of players from the IR list after missing three games. Previously teams only received two IR exemptions after missing eight games.

The problem for Bowden is that exception only applies to players added to the IR after 53-man roster cuts on Sept. 1. According to NFL Network reporter Cameron Wolfe, Bowden’s 2021 season is over unless an injury settlement can be reached and he is released to sign with another team.

A third round draft pick by the Raiders in 2020, Bowden was traded to the Dolphins after Las Vegas experimented with a move to running back. As a wide receiver in Miami he caught 28 passes for 211 yards. He also rushed for 32 yards on nine carries in 10 games.

Bowden was forced to hit the reset button on his NFL career before his first game as a rookie. Almost one year later to the date, an untimely injury is forcing him to hit the reset button, again, before the start of his second NFL season.