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The Miami Dolphins announced the signing of wide receiver Courtney Gardener today. Gardner had originally reached terms with the San Diego Chargers as an undrafted free agent, but never signed a deal. Instead, he and the Chargers "agreed to part ways" while the receiver handled personal matters.
Gardner was a highly recruited junior college player in 2012, coming out of Sierra College, committing to Oklahoma. However, he was never academically eligible to play for the Sooners, and he ultimately decided to declare for the draft. Out of high school, he was originally to play for Nevada, but academic issues forced him to the junior college route.
In 2011, Gardner, 6'3", 215-pounds, caught 61 passes for 1,099 yards and 13 touchdowns for Sierra College.
To make space for Gardner, the Dolphins waived undrafted free agent receiver Terrell Sinkfield. Miami signed Sinkfield immediately after the draft. The Norther Iowa undrafted free agent participated in the Dolphins' rookie minicamp and the first OTA.
Gardner is seen as having the raw talent to be a successful NFL receiver, but there concerns over his ability to mentally handle professional football. It is interesting that the Joe Philbin led Dolphins, who have routine shied away from (or traded) players with character concerns, would be interested in Gardner.
The Dolphins currently have eleven receivers on the roster, led by Mike Wallace, Brian Hartline, and Brandon Gibson.