Tyrel Dodson returns to Dolphins defense, regains role as playcaller
The Miami Dolphins’ struggling defense will be whole again for today’s road game against the Cleveland Browns when Tyrel Dodson returns to the field.
Dodson, who has served as Miami’s starting inside linebacker for the first five games, suffered a concussion in Miami’s 27-24 loss to the Carolina Panthers, and was forced to sit out last Sunday’s 29-27 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers because he was in the NFL’s concussion protocol.
Dodson returned to practice late last week, and got cleared from the NFL concussion protocol during the weekend, opening the door for him to resume his role as Miami’s green-dot player.
K.J. Britt, a fifth-year veteran Miami added as a free agent this offseason, replaced Dodson as the inside linebacker paired with Jordyn Brooks against the Chargers and record a career-high 13 tackles.
But Brooks was forced to handle the green-dot responsibilities for Miami’s defense, wearing the communication system in his headset that allows him to listen to play calls and instruction from defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver. However, that’s a role Brooks would prefer not to play, which means the NFL’s leading tackler (66 stops) gladly welcomes Dodson back to the field.
Dodson, who has played in 81 career games with 32 starts, has tallied 46 tackles, two sacks, one pass deflection and forced one fumble in the five games he’s played for a Dolphins defense, which is 30th in the yards allowed and 28th in points allowed per game (20).
Miami’s ability to stop Cleveland’s run game will be critical in Sunday’s contest because the Browns are starting rookie quarterback Dillion Gabriel, which means he’ll likely be working with a limited playbook, and Cleveland has a number of injuries on the offensive line that could impact the performance of offensive tackles Jack Conklin (concussion), Cam Robinson (knee), Cornelius Lucas (back), and offensive guard Joe Bitonio.
But keep in mind the Dolphins come into the game possessing the worst run defense in the NFL, allowing 168.5 rushing yards per game after the season’s first six weeks. The Dolphins are allowing 60.5 rushing yards more than the NFL average for this season.
The only player not on injury reserve the Dolphins will play the Browns without is safety Elijah Campbell, a special teams ace who will miss his second straight game because of a quadriceps injury he suffered in practice 12 days ago. The Dolphins called outside linebacker Quinton Bell, and cornerback Kendall Sheffield up from the practice squad to help with special teams, which allowed a costly 40-yard kickoff return last week that was a factor in Miami’s fourth-quarter loss to the Los Angeles Chargers.
The Dolphins enter Sunday’s game with the second-worst kickoff return allowed average (29.3), trailing only the Denver Broncos.
Fullback Alec Ingold, and Brooks are both nursing neck injuries, but both intend on playing, as will center Aaron Brewer, who has be battling a pectoral injury for the past two weeks.
