Dolphins Make Moves; Eichenberg Ruled Out

The Miami Dolphins elevated two players from the practice squad ahead of their playoff game at Buffalo
Dolphins Make Moves; Eichenberg Ruled Out
Dolphins Make Moves; Eichenberg Ruled Out /
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The Miami Dolphins made their usual Saturday practice squad elevations for their playoff game at Buffalo, but it was the one move they didn't make that stands out.

The Dolphins elevated two players from the practice squad — running back La'Mical Perine and offensive lineman Lester Cotton — but did not elevate quarterback Mike Glennon, as they did for the regular season finale against the New York Jets.

The Dolphins also announced Saturday that offensive lineman Liam Eichenberg had been downgraded from doubtful to out and didn't travel to Buffalo. He sustained a hand injury in the 11-6 victory against the New York Jets last Sunday.

This obviously indicates that the Dolphins are comfortable with what veteran Teddy Bridgewater would be able to do if he's asked to come into the game to replace starter Skylar Thompson.

The Dolphins had three quarterbacks active during their victory against the Jets, and it's unclear he would have come into the game had something happened with Thompson.

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FIRST ELEVATION FOR BOTH LA'MICAL PERINE AND LESTER COTTON

The move with Perine was to be expected once running back Raheem Mostert was ruled out because of the thumb injury he sustained against the New York Jets.

Perine will serve as the third running back behind Jeff Wilson Jr. and Salvon Ahmed, who figures to get his most extensive action of the season.

As for Cotton, he will give the Dolphins a 10th offensive lineman, though there are injury question marks with the three tackles listed as questionable on the final injury report of the week — Terron Armstead, Brandon Shell and Kendall Lamm.

Greg Little is the tackle on the 53-man roster, though it's possible the Dolphins could again use starting right guard Robert Hunt at tackle, as they did against the Jets after Shell was injured.

In a best-case scenario where Armstead, Shell and Lamm are available, the starting five up front figures to be, from left, Armstead, Robert Jones, Connor Williams, Hunt and Shell.

In a worst-case scenario where the three questionable players are all out, the starting five might look like, from left, Little, Jones, Williams, Cotton and Hunt.

The other offensive linemen on the roster are newcomer Geron Christian and center Michael Deiter, who has played special teams in every game but has not played a snap on offense all season.

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Alain Poupart
ALAIN POUPART

Alain Poupart is the publisher/editor of All Dolphins and co-host of the All Dolphins Podcast. Alain has covered the Miami Dolphins on a full-time basis since 1989 for various publications and media outlets, including Dolphin Digest, The Associated Press, the Dolphins team website, and the Fan Nation Network (part of Sports Illustrated). In addition to being a credentialed member of the Miami Dolphins press corps, Alain has covered three Super Bowls (for NFL.com, Football News and the Montreal Gazette), the annual NFL draft, the Senior Bowl, and the NFL Scouting Combine. During his almost 40 years in journalism, which began at the now-defunct Miami News, Alain has covered practically every sport at one time or another, from tennis to golf, baseball, basketball and everything in between. The career also included time as a copy editor, including work on several books such as "Still Perfect," an inside look at the Miami Dolphins' 1972 perfect season. A native of Montreal, Canada, whose first language is French, Alain grew up a huge hockey fan but soon developed a love for all sports, including NFL football. He has lived in South Florida since the 1980s.