The injury bug throughout Miami Dolphins training camp has plagued nearly every position on the roster. The latest concern came from star wide receiver Tyreek Hill with an apparent thumb injury. The wideout sat out of Miami’s joint practice with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Wednesday.
Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel said the injury wasn’t long-term serious, but it adds to an extensive list of 23 other players dealing with minor, or season-defining injuries. With nearly two weeks left before the 2024 regular season, the Dolphins could be handicapped to start.
Injuries, Aging Roster Loom as Threats to Dolphins in 2024
The Growth of the Injured Reserve List Throughout Camp
Since July 18, six Miami players have been placed on injured reserve. One of them is rookie wide receiver Tahj Washington, who didn’t get a chance in training camp to showcase himself. The seventh-round selection suffered an unspecified injury during OTAs and will miss the entire season unless he is waived with an injury settlement. This is the case for many on IR.
Another rookie, linebacker Grayson Murphy, was the victim of a knee injury in his pro debut in the Dolphins preseason opener against the Atlanta Falcons on Aug. 9. The linebacker from UCLA was seen wearing an immobilizing knee brace and was placed on injured reserve Aug. 12.
The other players on injured reserve include linebacker Cam Brown, offensive lineman Sean Harlow, tackle Kion Smith, and wide receiver Willie Snead IV. Snead joined Miami midway through training camp to assist the thin wide receiver room, which has suffered from recent minor injuries.
The Wide Receiver Room Is Taking a Beating
Besides Snead, just about every wide receiver is dealing with an injury. Slot receiver River Cracraft was the most recent with an upper-body injury from the Dolphins’ preseason game against the Washington Commanders on Aug. 17. McDaniel said the injury wasn’t season-ending, but Cracraft will be out “for some time”.
“No one likes to see injuries, I’m top of that list,” McDaniel told reporters on August 19. “If there’s anybody equipped to handle adversity, it’s River Cracraft. I don’t know how many teams he’s been on, but it’s a lot, and he’s worked his way to be a very good player in this league and that confidence will sustain. When he’s back, I expect him to be the best version just like we saw.”
The Dolphins throughout training camp have limited their wide receivers from participating in specific practices. The usual ones missed are either practices a day before joint practices, or ones right before a game. Wide receivers Braxton Berrios and Jaylen Waddle have been accustomed to doing this while nursing minor injuries.
Braylon Sanders sustained a lower-body injury earlier this week and was listed as questionable for the rest of the preseason. Still, it has not been announced if he’ll be active for Miami’s preseason finale against Tampa Bay. Rookie wide receiver Malik Washington is expected to get a lot of snaps due to these injuries in the position group.
Aged Veterans Kept Away From the Field
The lack of team drills for some veteran players is a reason for concern toward the season. Pro Bowl wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. joined the Dolphins on the physically unable to perform list and hasn’t budged since. The 10-year NFL veteran has been seen in practice sprinting and conditioning on his own away from the team. Beckham is one of four players on the PUP list as of today.
Other Miami players on the list with Beckham include offensive lineman Isaiah Wynn, and linebackers Cameron Goode and Bradley Chubb. Pass rusher Jaelan Phillips elevated himself off the list and is active in practices. The former first-round pick was on the PUP list since November of the 2023 season.
Safeties Jevon Holland and Jordan Poyer both have experienced a lack of practice time due to minor setbacks. Holland has been reported to be dealing with minor injuries while Poyer battled a thumb injury. Poyer was able to return to practice Tuesday, but his progress is still being monitored by the Dolphins. The same can go for everyone over the age of 30 on the roster.
Offensive Line Impacted the Most
The position group hit the hardest from injuries this preseason has been the offensive line. Throughout four weeks of training camp, first-string center Aaron Brewer injured his right hand, Smith suffered a torn ACL, and Harlow was placed on IR due to an undisclosed injury. Wynn, who continues to recover from a quadriceps injury sustained in October, has not seen the field at all in training camp.
Wynn and Smith are not expected to make appearances in the regular season. The blow is devastating to Miami’s pass protection as both offensive linemen helped quarterback Tua Tagovailoa in his career-high 2023 season. The latest update on Wynn was that the lineman was dealing with some “compounding stuff” that was lower extremity-related.
Brewer and Harlow’s injuries continue an ongoing search into the Dolphins’ concerns at center. Miami’s latest depth chart still has Brewer as the first-string guy but is listed as questionable with his right hand injury. The only other linemen to have practiced snaps at center in training camp this year have been Liam Eichenberg and Andrew Meyer. Meyer currently is behind Brewer on the depth chart.
Eichenberg’s usual spot on the line is at right guard. However, the Notre Dame alum could move to center with offensive lineman Jack Driscoll taking up the right guard position. The 27-year-old Dolphin has had an impressive camp and could perform well as a first-string guy.
It has been reported that some starters will make an appearance in Miami’s preseason game Saturday. But there’s doubt that a lot of them will be from the offensive line. Some starters, such as Hill, will sit out in the preseason finale and prepare for the regular season at Hard Rock Stadium against the Jacksonville Jaguars on September 8.
Main Photo: Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports
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