The Miami Dolphins waited to see if David Garrard could get healthy. They waited to find out if they could get a trade partner for Matt Moore.
On Tuesday, they stopped waiting.
Fox Sports insider and NFL Network contributor Jay Glazer reported that he received a text from Garrard detailing that the veteran quarterback has been released.
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Garrard said goodbye to his team via Twitter:
"To all the dolphins fans thx for ur support!" Garrard wrote. "Best of luck to all my teammates. Thx for making me feel at home!! Phins up!!"
Garrard practiced on a limited basis Monday and reportedly looked much improved. But he hasn't shown yet that he consistently can stay healthy after missing all of last year with a back problem. Although Moore has struggled picking up coach Joe Philbin's offense, keeping him was the safer choice.
It never made a lot of sense for the Dolphins to keep both Moore and Garrard. It made even less sense when the team named rookie Ryan Tannehill the starter. Garrard and Moore both were making too much money to be a No. 3 quarterback.
It would not be surprising to see Garrard land a job elsewhere, especially after Week 1. At that point, any contract he signs will not be guaranteed for the season. We'd expect Moore to stick with the Dolphins through the season and help Tannehill navigate a very challenging situation.
UPDATE: The Dolphins later confirmed Garrard's release, via their official Twitter account.
Follow Gregg Rosenthal on Twitter @greggrosenthal.
