The Miami Dolphins will be without another key wide receiver Sunday vs. Buffalo Bills
Miami Dolphins wide receiver Jakeem Grant is expected to miss Sunday’s game against the Bills with a high-ankle sprain. But the team is optimistic he’ll be back for the Wild Card round — assuming the Dolphins make it there.
Grant, who led the team with five catches Saturday, got hurt in the second half of the Dolphins’ victory against the Raiders and did not return.
It looked serious at the time, but Grant was able to walk off under his own power watched at least part of the remainder of the game from the sidelines.
While high-ankle sprains are often a weeks-long injury, the sense is Grant will not need to go on injured reserve, which would keep him out at least until the weekend of the conference championship games.
Grant’s injury further complicated the Dolphins’ issues at wide receiver. Preston Williams has been out since Nov. 8 with a foot injury, DeVante Parker hasn’t played since Dec. 13 with a hamstring issue and tight end Mike Gesicki wasn’t 100 percent Saturday, having suffered a shoulder injury two weeks prior.
But Parker seems like a decent bet to play Sunday against Buffalo; he’s practiced on a limited basis the past two weeks. And Dolphins coach Brian Flores left open the door for a possible return for Williams.
“[Parker is] doing everything he can and he’s getting close, and when he’s ready, we’ll get him out there,” Flores said. “Preston, we’ll see how that goes this week.”
Grant has quietly put together a career year, ranking second among Dolphins wide receivers in catches (36) and receiving yards (373).
His absence also creates a hole on special teams. His 11.4-yard average is most in the NFL among players with at least 13 punt returns this year. Malcolm Perry filled in as the Dolphins’ punt returner when Grant went down, while Noah Igbinoghene handled kickoff returns Saturday.
This story was originally published December 28, 2020 at 11:30 AM.
