Former Dolphins linebacker dies in a house fire

A former Miami Dolphins linebacker and defensive end died in a Sunday morning house fire that reportedly also killed a woman and her child.

Quentin Moses, who played for the Dolphins 2007-10, was declared dead at a local hospital after a fire at a Monroe, Georgia, house. As reported by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Andria Godard, 31 and daughter Jasmine Godard, 10, died inside the house.

All of Moses’ 44 NFL games, two starts and 3.5 career sacks came in a Dolphins uniform, yet he began his career with a strange odyssey for a player picked as high as Moses was.

Oakland drafted the All-SEC defensive end and SEC Academic Honor Roll member in 2007 in the third round, a place that usually guarantees at least a season on the roster (i.e. Dolphins and Michael Egnew, 2012). Instead, Oakland chopped Moses in the last round of preseason cuts on Sept. 1.

According to the San Francisco Chronicle, then-Oakland head coach and current Florida Atlantic University head coach Lane Kiffin predicted Moses “would be a good player in this league. But at the end of looking at all of it, we had other people who could help us more.”

Quickly, Arizona claimed Moses off waivers, but just as a regular season practice body. He was waived from there six games into the season and, eight days later, the Dolphins signed the 6-5, 260-pounder as a free agent.

The Dolphins released a statement Sunday afternoon: “We were deeply saddened to hear about the tragic news involving Quentin Moses. Our thoughts and sincere condolences go out to his family and friends during this difficult time.”

This story was originally published February 12, 2017 at 12:56 PM with the headline "Former Dolphins linebacker dies in a house fire."