Dolphins’ Xavien Howard, DeVante Parker won’t play vs. Jaguars in London
Dolphins cornerback Xavien Howard and wide receiver DeVante Parker have been ruled out for Sunday’s game against the Jacksonville Jaguars in London.
Both players missed practice on Wednesday and Thursday and made the flight to London but were again listed as nonparticipants Friday. Parker, who is dealing with a shoulder and hamstring injury, was dressed for practice but did not catch passes from quarterbacks during the viewing period.
Howard, dealing with a shoulder and groin injury, was wearing a white T-shirt and shorts and shortly after stretching with the team, he watched positional drills from the side.
Before practice, coach Brian Flores said he was hopeful the two would be able to practice in some capacity.
Parker will miss his second consecutive game this season, making one less receiver available for quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, who will make his return from fractured ribs Sunday. Last week against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, rookie Jaylen Waddle and Preston Williams were the team’s top wideouts. Running back Myles Gaskin also caught a season-high 10 passes.
Howard, who was limited in practice last week and struggled against Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Antonio Brown, will miss his first game of the season. Justin Coleman or Nik Needham will likely start in his place. Noah Igbinoghene, a 2020 first-round pick who has been inactive four of the first five games, could also be active as a depth option.
Tagovailoa participated in practice for the third consecutive day since returning from fractured ribs he sustained in Week 2. Tagovailoa, who has not officially been activated to the 53-man roster, was not listed on the injury report. He said he is “100 percent ready” to return to the field.
Backup quarterback Jacoby Brissett (hamstring), cornerback Byron Jones (Achilles/groin), tight end Adam Shaheen (knee), wide receiver Preston Williams (groin) are questionable. All were limited in Friday’s practice.
The Jaguars ruled out starting linebacker Myles Jack (back) and reserve offensive lineman Rashaad Coward (ankle). Cornerback Tyson Campbell (toe) and defensive lineman Roy Robertson-Harris (ankle) are questionable.
Wilkins bonds with UK media over ‘Hamilton’
Defensive lineman Christian Wilkins was a fan favorite among the United Kingdom media.
As he made his way onto the podium and stood in front of the Dolphins-themed backdrop, he remarked, “Cheers! Cheerio!” to the delight of the media corps mostly composed of UK journalists.
Then it only took three questions until Wilkins was asked about his love for the musical, “Hamilton.”
Wilkins explained that he’s a “big fan” of musicals and plays and saw “Hamilton” on Broadway, “a different type of experience for me.” During the early days of the coronavirus pandemic, Wilkins said he would act out scenes from the play in his room and “have a good time with it.” (The Dolphins play “Hamilton” at practice every Friday).
Asked if he would recite a scene, Wilkins joked, “I’ve got to get some water in me before I perform.”
Dolphins look forward to sightseeing in London
The Dolphins are situated in Ware, England, a rural area about an hour away from London, so the team technically isn’t in the hustle and bustle of the city. But Saturday is a scheduled day off for the team and players are looking forward to seeing a bit of the culture.
Tight end Mike Gesicki said he has never been to London but Durham Smythe has, so he will act as his “tour guide” on Saturday.
Linebacker Jerome Baker said his mother and aunt came for the game and he’s excited to join them in the city.
Flores said that the team can benefit from the extra time spent together during the overseas trip.
“I think any time you can get together as a team for a couple days where it’s just the team, I think there’s some benefits to that,” he said. “There’s more dinners, more lunches, more sit downs, more conversation and more relationships that are built. That’s a part of the game that to me, is very important. When you’re trying to build a team and put a team together, the team is about the people and about relationships and about trust. Any opportunity that you can get to build that, I think you have to try to take full advantage of it.”
This story was originally published October 15, 2021 at 12:05 PM.
