As is the case every year, the Dolphins are dealing with a rash of injuries in training camp. Miami is not an isolated case in this regard; injuries are an inevitable part of the game.
And the good news is: It could be much worse. No star player suffered a serious injury during the Dolphins’ two-week training camp.
On the current status of the affected positions:
CENTER
Starter Aaron Brewer left practice on Wednesday and trainers examined one of his hands. After spending several minutes at Baptist Health Center, he went back outside and watched as Falcons receiver Rondale Moore was carried off the field with a leg injury.
Whether Brewer’s problem will keep him out of action for just a few days or possibly longer remains to be seen. But realistically, the maligned offensive line cannot afford any serious injuries.
Liam Eichenberg is the best backup center on the roster, but he’s also needed at right guard after Robert Hunt left for Carolina in the offseason. So if Eichenberg has to step in at center for a while, that’s problematic because another right guard candidate – Jack Driscoll – hasn’t exactly taken his chance.
If Eichenberg has to play center, Miami could turn to Lester Cotton at right guard; McDaniel said Wednesday that Cotton has been “phenomenal.”
Driscoll has struggled with snapping while playing center. Veteran rookie Sean Harlow and UNLV undrafted rookie Andrew Meyer can also play center.
McDaniel said Eichenberg deserves a chance at a spot “to see where his technique goes. He hasn’t necessarily had that advantage the last two years.” But if Brewer is out, Eichenberg may not have that luxury.
Meanwhile, left guard Isaiah Wynn remains on the PUP list and is unable to practice as he continues to recover from his quadriceps injury from last October.
WIDE RECEIVER
The Dolphins practiced against the Falcons on Wednesday without six receivers – rookie Tahj Washington (who will likely miss the season), Odell Beckham Jr. (on the physically unable to perform list; has not practiced all camp); Jaylen Waddle, Braxton Berrios, Erik Ezukanma and Anthony Schwartz.
Waddle and Berrios had “minor” problems, McDaniel said.
“It’s unfortunate because the numbers are low,” said River Cracraft.
With only seven healthy receivers available, the Dolphins signed former UM star Mike Harley Jr. after practicing with him on Wednesday morning. Harley, who participated in practice on Wednesday, is the Hurricanes’ all-time leading pass receiver with 188 passes caught. He has yet to play in an NFL game but spent time with the Cleveland Browns after going undrafted in 2022.
After several veterans were out, Cracraft and more recently Washington have taken the opportunity to
Cracraft has been catching everything around him during this training camp and there is a good chance he will make the 53-man roster.
At the beginning of his career, “it felt like the belief came from within me… (At the Dolphins recently) they showed faith in me again and that makes players better. That’s why I think I’m a little more successful than I have been in the past.”
Would Cracraft be happy to attend training camp knowing he had a job, or does he like the motivation he feels as a bubble player?
“It’s important not to think that you’ve already made it,” he said. “And that’s exactly the attitude I like to cultivate… Nobody said you’d make the team… It’s important not to lose heart and act like you have to earn your place every day.”
Washington, the fifth-round rookie, has been productive over the last four practices after a slow start to training camp, and he made significant progress on Wednesday with throws from Mike White and Skylar Thompson.
“There are a lot of nuances in this offense that you have to understand,” Washington said. “It’s pretty difficult. Braxton and River have helped me a lot.”
Washington is starting to resemble the player who led the FBS in pass catches (110) last season, along with 1,426 yards.
“Malik did a great job of figuring out how to be a pro very quickly,” McDaniel said.
At this point, Berrios and Cracraft are clear favorites for jobs five and six behind Tyreek Hill, Waddle and Beckham. And Washington appears to have the best chance at job No. 6.
Outside Linebacker
Although Jaelan Phillips is playing well after injuring his Achilles last November, he remains on the PUP list and it is unclear if he will play in the Sept. 8 opener against Jacksonville.
Bradley Chubb, who tore his ACL on Dec. 31, isn’t usually on the field when reporters watch practice (unlike Phillips), and his return isn’t considered imminent.
Additionally, the fifth-round rookie has missed two straight practices. (And defensive tackle Benito Jones was not seen on Wednesday.)
Centre-back
The good news is that starter Jordyn Brooks returned to practice on Tuesday after missing four straight practices. Additionally, starter David Long Jr. is battling a knee injury from late July and is playing very well in training camp.
Former Browns starter Anthony Walker has missed five consecutive practices due to an unspecified injury.
SECURITY
Starter Jordan Poyer has missed six straight practices after a strong start to training camp. His wife, Rachel Bush, said on X on Wednesday that Poyer has a thumb injury and that it is “not a concern at all. All professional players do their best and show that in practice, so of course that is unavoidable. Not to mention that he finished practice that day and still had a pick with his thumb as it was.”
Since Jevon Holland was also unable to participate in practice on Wednesday due to an unspecified injury, there was plenty of playing time for the second team’s safeties, Marcus Maye and Elijah Campbell, as well as Nik Needham, who works as a safety and slot cornerback.
Corner defender
The only one who has missed a lot of time is Cam Smith, selected in the second round of the 2023 draft. He missed more than a week with a lower-body injury, returned on Monday and left practice on Tuesday with another injury. He was not seen on Wednesday.
In his absence, Kader Kohou and Ethan Bonner have staked claim to the top backup positions behind Jalen Ramsey and Kendall Fuller. Kohou is the first-team nickel cornerback.
Bonner “looks like more than (a guy who) can run, which he can do,” Fuller said. “He looks like someone who can set the edge and handle the ball. He looks like a complete football player to me.”
Of the three undrafted cornerbacks, Jason Maitre had a very good training camp and Storm Duck and Isaiah Johnson showed strong plays in coverage against Atlanta this week.
