Final Week 1 Dolphins-Chargers Injury Report: Armstead Out

Four-time Pro Bowl tackle Terron Armstead is one of two Miami Dolphins players who definitely will miss the Week 1 matchup

The great Terron Armstead mystery is over for Week 1, and the final verdict is the four-time Pro Bowl tackle will miss the Miami Dolphins' season opener against the Los Angeles Chargers at SoFi Stadium on Sunday.

Armstead was one of two players the Dolphins ruled out Friday, along with defensive back Elijah Campbell.

The decision to sideline Armstead should not be considered surprising given that Armstead hasn't practiced since he was injured in the second joint practice with the Houston Texans on Aug. 17.

Armstead, who was listed on the injury report this week with back/ankle/knee issues, will miss a fifth game since joining the Dolphins as a free agent in the 2022 offseason.

The Dolphins were 1-3 in the games that Armstead missed last season, losing against the Jets, Vikings and 49ers before defeating the New York Jets in the regular season finale.

Head coach Mike McDaniel said before practice Friday that Armstead definitely would play against the Chargers if the decision were up to him but that it was his job to protect him from himself.

With Armstead out, veteran Kendall Lamm is expected to start at left tackle against the Chargers.

Lamm started at left tackle for Armstead in the Week 17 loss against the New England Patriots on New Year's Day, but left the game with an injury that sidelined him for the rest of the season.

McDaniel was asked about his confidence level in Lamm.

“Kendall is a great example of a guy that has found a place on a team that had been through some trials in his career," McDaniel said. "Last year he made an impact so early in the room, about how he goes about his business. He uses every slight that’s happened to him to his advantage, not disadvantage. And he’s a core piece of the locker room at this point, which says a lot. So my confidence is high, just because I see better than I hear and he’s shown me as consistent, really, as anybody of what I can expect, what his teammates can expect from him, and that’s a guy that there’s nothing more important to him than what he needs to deliver on for himself and his teammates. So any time he’s on the field, I get excited for him because he’s been down the rigors of the NFL journey for a player that’s not a lottery pick, so to speak, and he’s coming out a better version than he went in.”

THE REST OF THE DOLPHINS INJURIES

Besides Armstead and Campbell, the Dolphins had two other players with a game status designation, cornerback Justin Bethel and tight end Julian Hill.

Bethel (knee) and Hill (ankle) were limited in practice all week.

If Hill can't play, that would leave the Dolphins with two tight ends on the active roster — Durham Smythe and Tyler Kroft. The Dolphins potentially could elevate tight end Tanner Conner from the practice squad 

CHARGERS INJURY REPORT

The Chargers didn't rule out any players Friday, but they did list both LB Daiyan Henley and OLB Chris Rumph II as doubtful because of hamstring injuries.

Henley, the rookie third-round pick from Washington State, didn't practice all week; Rumph didn't practice the past two days after being limited Wednesday.