Breaking Down the Week 8 Dolphins-Lions Inactive Info

The Miami Dolphins will have Xavien Howard and Emmanuel Ogbah in the lineup for their game against Detroit

It's all good news for the Miami Dolphins in terms of their player availability for their game against the Detroit Lions, though there was a surprise on the inactive list anyway.

Safety Eric Rowe, who was not on the injury report all week, is among one of the five inactives for the Dolphins, who will have all six players who were listed as questionable Friday.

That includes CB Xavien Howard, P Thomas Morstead and DE Emmanuel Ogbah, who will be back after missing the Sunday night game against the Pittsburgh Steelers because of a back injury.

Along with Rowe, the Dolphins inactives will be RB Myles Gaskin, WR Erik Ezukanma, QB Sylar Thompson and WR River Cracraft, who was ruled out Saturday because of a neck injury.

Gaskin being inactive isn't surprising because it should have been clear by now that Salvon Ahmed has passed him in depth chart, officially or not. Yes, it was Gaskin who got some carries against the Jets after Chase Edmonds struggled, but that was because Ahmed was inactive with a toe injury that day.

Ezukanma will remain inactive for the eighth time in eight games, and this despite Cracraft being out because the Dolphins elevated Braylon Sanders from the practice squad Saturday.

Yes, it's a disappointing development because Ezukanma was a fourth-round pick in the 2022 NFL draft and he did shine in the preseason, but this once again proves that the preseason always should be taken with a grain of salt.

With Brandon Jones on IR and Rowe inactive, it'll be interesting to see who will start at safety opposite second-year player Jevon Holland and don't be shocked if it ends up being rookie Verone McKinley III, who like Sanders was elevated from the practice squad Saturday.

It's the third elevation for McKinley, meaning he's done for the 2022 season for the Dolphins unless they sign him to the active roster — which should be expected at this point.

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LIONS INACTIVE INFO

The Detroit inactives include the six players who were ruled out because of injuries, plus former Rams first-round pick Michael Brockers, a defensive lineman.

Among the six players missing the game with injuries in 2017 Dolphins first-round pick Charles Harris.

The others are S DeShon Elliott, CB Mike Hughes, CB Chase Lucas, S Ifeatu Melifonwu and T Matt Nelson.