Dolphins center Mike Pouncey (hip injury) could miss season opener

Dolphins center Mike Pouncey is dealing with a left hip injury which could force him to miss the season opener.

Miami Dolphins center Mike Pouncey is dealing with a left hip injury that could force him to miss the team season opener against the Seattle Seahawks on Sept. 11.

Pouncey was injured in the team's preseason loss to the Dallas Cowboys, and it is unlikely that he will play in the final two preseason contests.

"I don’t want to put a timetable on it, but, I mean, there’s a possibility,” Dolphins head coach Adam Gase said to Miami Herald. “He could if things change for us or if we get some kind of diagnosis where they tell us it’s going to be a longer period of time than what we originally thought. It could happen.”

Pouncey has made the Pro Bowl in each of the last three seasons and has a history of hip trouble. He missed the team's first four games in 2014 after sustaining a right hip injury.

In Thursday's preseason game against the Atlanta Falcons, Pouncey is expected to be replaced in the starting lineup by Anthony Steen, an undrafted free agent who has never played in an NFL regular season game.

"You're giving everybody a shot, and he has come out there in training camp and really caught our eye a little bit as far as doing everything right," Gase said. "He's been strong as far as at the point of attack."

- Scooby Axson