Barry Jackson
Former Brazilian judo star fulfills dream, continues quest to stick on Dolphins’ roster
He began with a dream, hoping to become the first player from the NFL’s fledgling international program to become an NFL starter.
But dreams sometimes come with expiration dates, and Durval Queiroz-Neto is hoping to delay his.
As his third training camp with the Dolphins unfolds, the Dolphins must determine whether he’s worthy of a spot on the 53-man roster for the first time (the odds are against that) or making a continued investment in developing him on the practice squad, a scenario that appears likely.
Neto — who turns 29 later this month — has spent some time with the second team at guard in training camp but faces a tough battle to crack the 53.
For two years, Neto has been more of a curiosity than contender, a neat story of a player who grew up in Brazil and was a judo standout growing up. He spent the past two seasons on Miami’s practice squad.
“Coming from Brazil was already hard because of the level of football,” he said. “Then they changed my position. And then that transition, learning everything from the O-line standpoint, that is the part I’ve most improved. It’s really different than being aggressive playing D-line.”
Here’s the good news: He finally played in a game Saturday, logging 12 snaps at guard. Pro Football Focus gave him high marks for those snaps, though a Falcons defender got past him for one run that went for no gain.
“I thought he played well,” Dolphins coach Brian Flores said. “He went in, knew what he had to do, knew who he had to block, blocked them, played with great energy. He always plays with passion and energy. I’m proud of him. I’m proud of all the work he’s put in.
“I remember when he first got here and football was new to him, and he’s really grown and done a nice job of learning the system, of learning a new position. He’s a great teammate, practices hard and he’s a tough kid. I was happy to see him get in there and expect to see him get in there a little bit more next week.”
Neto was emotional about the moment, tweeting (English translation here): “I never did it just for me. I’ve been training for four years. Four years without playing a game, four years since I didn’t do what I love the most in life. And you can’t imagine what it means for me to have entered that field. God promised and honored me.... because that’s how he works.”
Allocated to the Dolphins as part of the NFL’s International Player Pathway program, the 6-4, 330-pound Neto spent his first season (2019) with the Dolphins as a practice-squad defensive tackle, the position he played in Brazil. But late that season, offensive line coach Dave DeGuglielmo had an idea.
“He was watching my practice every day and saying, ‘Hey ‘Q,’ we have a white jersey ready for you,” Neto said of the offensive line jerseys. “‘You need to make that move.’ I’d say ‘coach, I was born to play D-line.’
“When they signed him to be the main O-line coach, he asked for me and ‘Coach Flo’ [Flores] talked with me, and I decided to make the move. From there, they spent a lot of time and patience teaching me everything I know right now as an O-lineman.
“In Brazil when I was playing D-line, I said, ‘this is my thing.’ The only way I’ll be happy is if I play D-line. I like to run and hit people, make tackles, tackles for loss. When they moved me, I said I can play guard for sure. But I don’t know if I’ll be happy. But after months playing and training, I’m happy. When I do pass protection and block people, I love that.”
Growing up in Brazil, he was a black belt in judo and didn’t start playing football until 2015.
“When I was graduating with my agriculture and engineering degree, I was ready to come back and help my dad with the farm [in Brazil],” he said. “Then I said I needed to try [professional football], and they supported me. Started training and then the NFL, they discovered my story.”
Dolphins teammates initially didn’t know what to make of him.
“Everybody who made it to the NFL, they already did something in college and high school,” he said. “They didn’t know anything about me. When we introduced ourselves and they say, ‘Where did you play?’ I say, ‘I’ve never played. I came from Brazil. I never played college.’ In the beginning, it was hard for them to understand.”
But not now; he’s embraced by teammates.
“That’s my man. I love ‘Q’,” defensive lineman Christian Wilkins said. “Just love his spirit. He loves football, likes to get better, likes to work hard. It’s good seeing some good things out of ‘Q.’ He’s a fun guy to have on the team.”
Neto is eligible for a roster exemption under only some circumstances. The Dolphins cannot keep him as a bonus 54th man on the 53-man roster; if he makes the team, he would need to be counted among the 53.
But if the Dolphins cut him next week and sign him to the practice squad, he becomes the 17th player on the 16th-player practice squad. Under 2020 NFL rules, the 17th player on the practice squad couldn’t be called up to the active roster during the season.
But under 2021 rules, the Dolphins can designate him as a standard practice squad player — and not a bonus international practice squad player — and then promote him to the 53-man roster, but must wait three weeks to use him in a game. After three weeks, he would be eligible to be “elevated” to play in a game twice in one season while remaining on the practice squad.
“In a lot of parts, I need to get better a lot,” Neto said. “Life is hard. I’m doing this because it’s my dream to be here. Coming from Brazil was already hard because of the level of football. Then they changed my position. [But] I learned how to be patient.”
Offensive line coach Lemuel Jeanpierre said: “Q’s effort has always been amazing. One thing he has is he’s aggressive. He’s getting better at... controlling that aggression.”
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