Dolphins Getting their Snapper Back

Blake Ferguson has been for almost two months because of an undisclosed issue

Miami Dolphins long snapper Blake Ferguson (44) on the sidelines during the first half against the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium last season. / Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

The Miami Dolphins are getting their long-snapper back.

Veteran Blake Ferguson was back at practice Wednesday for the first time since being placed on the Reserve/Non-Football Illness list Oct. 19, the day before the Week 7 game against the Indianapolis Colts.

The reason for Ferguson's absence has not been disclosed.

In the seven games the Dolphins played without Ferguson, they used three different long snappers after they were elevated from the practice squad the maximum three times (in the regular season).

The first was Matt Overton, and he was followed by Tucker Addington and more recently by Zach Triner for the game against the Green Bay Packers on Thanksgiving night.

It's probably just a coincidence, but the Dolphins went 3-0 with Addington as their snapper and 0-4 with either Overton and Triner.

Regardless of who was in the lineup, there were no snapping snafus while was Ferguson was sidelined.

Ferguson hadn't missed a game before this season after arriving as a sixth-round pick out of LSU in the 2020 NFL draft. His brother Reid is the long-snapper for the Buffalo Bills.

THE RETURN UPDATE

Ferguson became the sixth Dolphins player designated for return from a reserve list, leaving them with two for the remainder of the regular season.

Ferguson follows WR River Cracraft, CB Cam Smith, QB Tua Tagovailoa, S Patrick McMorris and QB Tyler "Snoop" Huntley.

The four players who have returned from the Physically Unable to Perform list — Odell Beckham Jr., Isaiah Wynn, and this most recently Bradley Chubb and Cameron Goode — do not count against the eight-return limit.

The Dolphins players who were placed on IR after the start of the season and therefore could be designated to return are WR Braxton Berrios, LB Tyus Bowser, TE Tanner Conner, WR Grant DuBose, T Austin Jackson, LB Jaelan Phillips and Smith, who was placed on IR for a second time Wednesday. Smith could be designated for a second time if the Dolphins chose to do so but it would count as a second return designation for him.

Berrios, Jackson and Phillips already have been declared out for the season given the severity of their injuries.