Colts Add Mountainous Lineman to Roster Ranks

Matos (6'7", 313 lbs.) grew up in the Dominican Republic and is a participant in the NFL's International Player Pathway Program.

Matos was originally a part of the 2024 draft class, but he went undrafted. He spent the 2024 season and 2025 offseason as a member of the Miami Dolphins. An offseason injury saw Matos airlifted to a local Miami hospital, and he was later cut from the roster.

Matos moved to the United States as a teenager to pursue a professional basketball career and committed to play for the Mississippi State Bulldogs before eventually going to New Mexico. He made his debut in the 2020-21 season, averaging 6.1 points and 4.0 rebounds per game.

Matos then entered the transfer portal and decided to take his talents to the University of South Florida. It was there that he joined the football team as a walk-on, initially as a defensive lineman and special teams player.

He later moved to the offensive line and appeared in two games. During his pre-draft process, Matos ran a 4.88 40-yard dash at his pro day, which would have ranked first among all offensive linemen at the NFL combine.

Former New England Patriots vice president of player personnel and Kansas City Chiefs general manager Scott Pioli named Matos as an international player to watch for in a 2024 article.

"At IMG Academy, Matos has picked up specific offensive line movement skills quicker than most and is making remarkable strides," Pioli wrote. "He is smooth, with good foot/hand coordination, and possesses rare punch explosion. As a lifelong evaluator, you just know rare punch/explosion when you hear it and see it. You can hear his punch from the other side of the field."

Matos joins the practice squad as a developmental piece behind one of the best offensive lines in all of football. Colts left tackle Bernhard Raimann came to the NFL from Austria, so Matos has a player to relate to in terms of his journey to the league.

To make room for Matos, the Colts released tackle Marcellus Johnson from the practice squad. Even though the Colts do not have any IPPP players, the team opted not to take a potential roster spot exemption and still waived a player.