Dolphins Injury/Availability Outlook for Season Opener

Head coach Mike McDaniel provided an update on several injured Miami Dolphins players after the preseason finale.

Miami Dolphins wide receiver Jaylen Waddle (17) and Miami Dolphins wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. (3) walk onto the field for warm ups before a preseason game against the Atlanta Falcons at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports / Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports

There was an awful lot of star power missing in action during Miami Dolphins practices and preseason games this summer, and the question now turns to exactly what the lineup will look like when the regular season kicks off on September 8th.

Among Dolphins players who sat out the joint practice and preseason finale against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers because of various ailments were wide receivers Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle, and Odell Beckham Jr.; center Aaron Brewer; guard Isaiah Wynn; cornerback Jalen Ramsey; safety Jevon Holland and edge defender Bradley Chubb. And that's not even mentioning tackle Terron Armstead, who has been on a load management program to make sure he's ready for the start of the regular season, or edge defender Jaelan Phillips, who recently began practicing after being activated off the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list.

That's nine high-end starters, plus the wide receiver expected to become the third option at the position (Beckham).

Beckham, Chubb, and Wynn have spent all of training camp on Active/PUP, and the Dolphins will have to make a call on each one by Tuesday at 4:00 PM EDT when every team has to get down to the 53-player limit. The options are putting them on the active roster or moving them to Reserve/PUP, which would sideline them for the first four games of the regular season.

Head coach Mike McDaniel provided updates regarding some players' availability for the opener against the Jacksonville Jaguars, though some injuries have remained a mystery. The Dolphins will have to release an official injury report, with the nature of the injury and practice participation status, for the first time on Wednesday, September 4th.

We'll know who could be available for that Week 1 game then. In the meantime, here's the outlook for all the injured players based on McDaniel's comments and what we'll be able to observe.

DOLPHINS INJURED OFFENSIVE PLAYERS

WR Tyreek Hill — Based on McDaniel's comment before the joint practice with Tampa Bay on Wednesday, there's little reason for concern that he won't be ready. And, even though this should go without saying, understand that with Hill and every other player, the assessment is made with the assumption of no setback.

WR Jaylen Waddle — McDaniel suggested last week that Waddle would have been playing had we been in the regular season, so he should also be in the lineup against Jacksonville.

C Aaron Brewer — This one remains a mystery. McDaniel sounded optimistic about Brewer's availability after the Tampa Bay game, though there were no specifics. "Nothing has really changed with that, I feel pretty good about it, but I don't know [anything] concrete."

WR Odell Beckham, Jr. — This might be the most mysterious injury of all because the impression given throughout the spring was that the Dolphins were just being prudent, except he never practiced in the summer. While McDaniel expressed optimism about Beckham being ready, there was also nothing concrete regarding predictions. "You hope, but you have to listen to people's bodies and be very communicative," Beckham said. "I know he's feeling very optimistic about how things are developing, but you just take it one day at a time. Like I said before, I'm not at a position of nervousness because of the way he's been involved. He's found a way to be a leader of sorts without playing, that's tough to do but his mindset is right, so I feel good about that."

WR Erik Ezukanma — After a breakout preseason performance against Washington, Ezukanma was spotted for the preseason finale with a walking boot, but McDaniel offered an encouraging update when he said he was not dealing with a long-term injury. He probably still would have to be considered iffy for Week 1.

G Isaiah Wynn — Considering he hasn't practiced since he sustained his quad injury in Week 7 last year, there's little reason to be optimistic about his readiness for the start of the regular season.

DOLPHINS INJURED DEFENSIVE PLAYERS

DT Benito Jones — It's been a couple of weeks now since Jones, who is listed first on the depth chart at defensive lineman along with Zach Sieler and Calais Campbell, has practiced, but it looks like Jones will be ready for Week 1. "It's hard to forecast Week 1 for a lot of the guys, specifically because in the last couple of days such major focus goes to all these huge opportunities for a lot of guys. As of right now, I'm not nervous about it at all. I think I also need to sit down and wrap my head around some of those guys, including Benito because it's just so important to me to really invest and be 100 percent present with the guys that are completing our roster."

DT Brandon Pili — Another big body in the middle of the defensive line, Pili went down with what looked like a potentially serious leg injury against Tampa Bay, but McDaniel sounded optimistic after the game. "Just talking to him on the field, he felt like it wasn't serious. Him talking to me, he's not a doctor, we have to get imaging and stuff, but he seemed like there was just no reason to stress a guy that just got a ding, so we will be evaluating that here shortly."

OLB Bradley Chubb — There has been no real update regarding Chubb other than that he's progressing well, and there have been no setbacks. But it certainly doesn't appear that he'll likely be in the lineup in Week 1, and starting the season on the Reserve/PUP list is a distinct possibility.

LB Anthony Walker, Jr. — It's been a while since we've seen Walker on the field (a shame because he looked so good in the offseason program), so it's tough to make a call on him even as it comes to the 53-man roster. It's probably safe not to count on his services for the Jacksonville game.

CB Jalen Ramsey — He falls in the Hill/Waddle category in that he probably could have been on the field had it not been training camp, so he should be good to go against the team that drafted him fifth overall in 2016. "Jalen Ramsey was able to get some reps this week, the practice before the joint practice. So, I feel very good about that. We didn't practice him in the joint practice because, coming off the injury I just know too much about my personnel. He's already a competitor. Thankfully, he's already a such a good teammate and such a good leader, you know, when he goes against our offense, he manages his competitiveness as much as one can. He himself knows that (if) another colored jersey goes against him, he might step out the comfort zone. So, getting him some reps, I feel pretty good about him and he's done a good job, so no concerns about him."

S Jevon Holland — He also likely will be in the lineup, as McDaniel indicated he had a good workout before the game on Friday and should be classified as "day to day."