Category: Miami Dolphins

3 Dolphins ruled out, Terron Armstead questionable vs. Packers

The Dolphins will be without three players on defense when they take on the Packers.

The Miami Dolphins ruled out three players for a Thanksgiving game against the Green Bay Packers and listed left tackle Terron Armstead as questionable.

Armstead, 33, was questionable in each of the last two weeks, but played in both games. If he’s unable to play Thursday against the Packers, second-round rookie Patrick Paul would likely be called upon to start in the five-time Pro Bowler’s place.

Out of action for the Dolphins are cornerback Kendall Fuller, linebacker Anthony Walker Jr., and outside linebacker Tyus Bowser. Miami is expected to start Storm Duck and Tyrel Dodson in place of Fuller and Walker, respectively.

Here’s the full injury report for both teams heading into a Week 13 game at Lambeau Field:

Dolphins injury report

Out

  • OLB Tyus Bowser (knee/calf)
  • CB Kendall Fuller (concussion)
  • LB Anthony Walker Jr. (hamstring)

Questionable

  • OT Terron Armstead (rest/knee)

Packers injury report

Out

  • CB Jaire Alexander (knee)
  • LB Edgerrin Cooper (hamstring)
  • WR Romeo Doubs (concussion)

Questionable

  • TE John FitzPatrick (back)
  • LB Isaiah McDuffie (ankle)
  • C/G Josh Myers (pectoral)

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Tua Tagovailoa earns AFC Player of the Week honors for Week 12

Tua Tagovailoa led the NFL in touchdown passes and passer rating in Week 12.

Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa is the AFC Offensive Player of the Week for his dissection of the New England Patriots in a 34-15 Week 12 victory.

Tagovailoa finished the win with 29 completions on 40 pass attempts for 317 yards with four touchdowns and no interceptions. His touchdown pass total and his 128.9 passer rating both led all NFL quarterbacks in Week 12.

While he’s the first Dolphins player to earn Player of the Week honors this season, Tagovailoa is no stranger to the honor. He earned the distinction once each in 2022 and 2023, and now joins Dan Marino as the only Miami quarterbacks to earn AFC Player of the Week honors at least three times. Marino was an 18-time winner.

Tagovailoa, who missed four games earlier this season due to a concussion, has now completed at least 70 percent of his passes in all five of his starts since returning to the lineup in Week 8. His 73.3 completion percentage leads the NFL.

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5 Dolphins out, 6 limited in Tuesday practice

Tyreek Hill was one of five Dolphins absent from practice Tuesday.

The Miami Dolphins were back on the practice field Tuesday, two days ahead of a Thanksgiving game against the Green Bay Packers, but Tyreek Hill and four other players weren’t participants.

While Hill is dealing with a wrist injury, his absence Tuesday is listed as happening for personal reasons.

Elsewhere, the injury report largely mirrored the estimation the Dolphins released Monday. The only differences were the returns of defensive lineman Calais Campbell and safety Jordan Poyer, who were both listed as expected to miss Monday for rest.

Tuesday participation

DNP

  • OT Terron Armstead (knee)
  • OLB Tyus Bowser (knee/calf)
  • CB Kendall Fuller (concussion)
  • WR Tyreek Hill (wrist/personal)
  • LB Anthony Walker Jr. (hamstring)

Limited

  • DL Calais Campbell (rest)
  • FB Alec Ingold (calf)
  • DT Benito Jones (shoulder)
  • S Jordan Poyer (rest)
  • CB Jalen Ramsey (knee)
  • G Isaiah Wynn (quad/knee)

Full

  • TE Julian Hill (shoulder)
  • S Jevón Holland (hand/knee)
  • G Robert Jones (knee/groin)

Rookie Patrick McMorris previously appeared on the injury report as a full participant, but was removed after he was activated from the injured reserve Tuesday.

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Patriots claim veteran OL waived by Dolphins

The Dolphins brought back Isaiah Wynn, but lost an offensive lineman to a division rival in the process.

A day after he was waived by the Miami Dolphins, veteran offensive lineman Lester Cotton is now a member of the New England Patriots.

The Patriots claimed Cotton on Tuesday after he was waived to make room on the Dolphins’ roster for offensive lineman Isaiah Wynn to be activated from the injured reserve.

Cotton, 28, first joined the Dolphins in 2022 after he was claimed off waivers late in the year. Prior to that, he spent most of his first four seasons in the NFL with the Las Vegas Raiders.

The 330-pound guard appeared in 28 games with Miami and started eight during the 2023 season after Wynn suffered a season-ending quad injury. While he was in competition for a starting role in 2024, Cotton was beat out for a starting guard role by Robert Jones and Liam Eichenberg.

Still, Cotton appeared in all 11 games the Dolphins have played so far this season with 60 snaps on offense and 46 on special teams.

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Dolphins taken by surprise by Shaq Barrett changing mind on retirement

Mike McDaniel says the Dolphins had no idea Shaquil Barrett was reconsidering his July decision to retire.

Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel said the team had no knowledge pass rusher Shaquil Barrett was reconsidering his July retirement and he hasn’t yet figured out what the team should do about the two-time Pro Bowler’s decision to apply for immediate reinstatement.

“There’s a reason why you target and sign somebody,” McDaniel told reporters Tuesday. “I was fully caught off guard or caught by surprise this morning as I found out. I really haven’t had a chance to think about it. I think the team is counting on me to think about the Packers.

“I’ll get with [general manager] Chris [Grier] and we will work through that. But there’s a ton of implications that go through that with team and roster stuff. So we’ll work through that as we just got the news today.”

Barrett signed a one-year deal with the Dolphins in March and participated in the team’s offseason program, but retired just days before training camp was set to begin. According to McDaniel, that’s the last the team heard from Barrett.

“That’s why it’s just kind of news as you got it, it is to us. We’ll sort through that. The Tuesday before a Thursday night game, it’s tough. I’ve gotta talk to Chris first.”

Barrett is reportedly open to the idea of continuing his NFL career by playing with the Dolphins, but it remains to be seen if the team will welcome him back. After struggling to generate a pass rush early in the season, rookie first-round pick Chop Robinson has emerged as a dynamic threat off the edge in recent weeks.

The team also has linebackers Cameron Goode and Bradley Chubb on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list, and anticipates both returning to play at some point this season.

Barrett, 32, began his career with the Denver Broncos, but emerged as one of the NFL’s top pass rushers with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. In his first season with the Bucs, Barrett led the NFL with 19.5 sacks. He earned Pro Bowl honors in 2019 and 2021, and recorded 45 sacks in five seasons with the team.

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Where the Dolphins landed in power rankings after Week 12 win

One expert has the Dolphins as high as No. 12 in the NFL after a third straight win.

The Miami Dolphins are now riding three consecutive wins and they’ve scored 34 points in back-to-back weeks.

Their most recent performances have been reflective of the type of team the Dolphins thought they would field in 2024 before a 2-6 start. With a healthy Tua Tagovailoa under center and a blossoming pass rush, Miami is climbing its way into postseason contention.

But a trio of wins against teams that are all currently below .500 far from stamps the Dolphins as a Super Bowl favorite. A Thanksgiving matchup with the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field could provide a more realistic litmus test of Miami’s status as a contender.

Here’s where experts now rank the Dolphins heading into Week 13:

Miami will face the 8-3 Packers on Thursday night with kickoff scheduled for 8:20 p.m. ET.

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Dolphins activate rookie safety from injured reserve

A member of the Dolphins’ 2024 rookie class may make his NFL debut soon.

Miami Dolphins rookie safety Patrick McMorris may soon make his NFL debut after he was activated from the injured reserve to the team’s 53-man roster Tuesday. Earlier in the day, the team waived veteran safety Marcus Maye to make room.

McMorris, 23, was a sixth-round pick in the 2024 NFL draft and made impressive plays in preseason before earning a spot on the team’s initial 53-man roster. However, that was short-lived and he was moved to the IR before the end of August.

The Dolphins opened the 21-day practice window for McMorris earlier in November, but were down to their last couple days before the deadline to move him to the active roster. If the rookie safety was still on IR for the team’s Week 13 game against the Green Bay Packers, McMorris would’ve been done for the year and unable to practice with the team until the offseason.

It’s possible that the reps on the practice field are the reason the Dolphins want McMorris on the active roster. But the decision to waive Maye leaves the team without depth on the back-end of their secondary aside from McMorris and special teams ace Elijah Campbell.

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Dolphins waive veteran safety who started 3 games this season

The Dolphins are shaking up their secondary to make room for a rookie to make his NFL debut.

The Miami Dolphins are waiving veteran safety Marcus Maye, according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, who has been called upon to start three games this season for the team.

Maye, 31, previously spent five seasons with the New York Jets and two seasons with the New Orleans Saints, starting in all 77 games he played with the teams. While he joined the Dolphins on a one-year deal to serve as the backup for starters Jordan Poyer and Jevón Holland, injuries for the latter moved Maye into the starting lineup.

While the decision to part with the reliable backup is a bit of a surprise, it likely means the team plans to move sixth-round rookie Patrick McMorris to the active roster.

McMorris, 23, impressed in preseason but suffered an injury that landed him on injured reserve at the end of August. Earlier this month, the Dolphins opened the rookie’s 21-day window to return from IR. With only a couple days before the deadline to move him to the 53-man roster, Miami was facing the choice to make room for McMorris or lose the rookie for the rest of the season.

While Maye is now subject to waivers, Pelissero says the Dolphins are interested in retaining the veteran on their practice squad if he clears.

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Tyreek Hill’s traffic tickets from September incident dismissed in court

Officers cited Tyreek Hill for careless driving and not wearing a seatbelt, but those tickets were tossed out Tuesday.

The traffic violations that led to Tyreek Hill eventually being dragged from his car and being placed in handcuffs were dismissed Tuesday morning, court records show.

The Miami Dolphins wide receiver was cited for careless driving and failure to wear a seatbelt, but Miami-Dade police officers didn’t show up to a court hearing and the traffic tickets were tossed out.

The September incident earned national attention after video showed Hill being pulled from his car, handcuffed, and forced to the ground twice by officers. In a statement, the Dolphins urged MDPD to take “swift and strong action against the officers who engaged in such despicable behavior.” Hill told reporters that the officer who pulled him from the car has “gotta go.”

While the officer in question was placed on administrative leave by MDPD, no further update has been provided by police on their investigation of the incident.

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2-time Pro Bowl pass rusher ends retirement, could return with Dolphins

Are the Dolphins going to finally get help from the Pro Bowl pass rusher they signed in March?

Shaquil Barrett has reversed course again and reportedly filed paperwork to be reinstated, four months after he abruptly retired in July. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the two-time Pro Bowl pass rusher has applied to make an immediate return to the NFL.

The Miami Dolphins signed Barrett, a former Denver Broncos and Tampa Bay Buccaneers pass rusher, to a one-year deal in March. But he announced his retirement from the league in July, just days before he was due to report for training camp, citing a desire to shift his focus to his wife and kids.

In his absence, the Dolphins struggled to rush the passer early in the season as Bradley Chubb has yet to return from an ACL tear that ended his 2023 season, and Jaelan Phillips suffered a season-ending knee injury in September. But the Miami pass rush has improved in recent weeks with the emergence of first-round rookie Chop Robinson, who has 3.5 sacks in the last four weeks.

Still, there’s room for more improvement. Behind starters Robinson and Emmanuel Ogbah, who have 3.5 sacks each, only Quinton Bell has recorded a sack. The Dolphins signed Tyus Bowser for depth in October, but he has struggled and has recorded only four pressures in seven games.

The eventual return of Chubb could provide a boost, but the Dolphins may be interested to see if Barrett still has what it takes to make an impact down the stretch. On the other hand, Miami may be inclined to part with the veteran who never even arrived at training camp after signing with the team.

It’s also unclear for now if Barrett is eying a role with Miami in his return. However, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald says the pass rusher isn’t hunting for a way off the Dolphins’ roster.

Barrett, 32, earned Pro Bowl nods in 2019 and 2021 while with the Buccaneers. In nine seasons, he has 59 career sacks, including a league-leading 19.5 in 2019.

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