Dolphins elevate offensive lineman from practice squad, but no Verone McKinley in Chicago
The Miami Dolphins are elevating a player from the practice squad to play Sunday against the Chicago Bears, but it’s not Verone McKinley III.
Kion Smith is the only player coming up from the practice squad to join the Dolphins this weekend in Illinois, giving Miami some extra depth on the offensive line with Austin Jackson unlikely to play for the eighth straight game.
Smith has yet to appear in a game in his NFL career, but the 24-year-old tackle was active in Week 6 for the Dolphins’ loss to the Minnesota Vikings. He’ll be a reserve option behind offensive linemen Terron Armstead and Brandon Shell, who are likely to start at left and right tackle, respectively.
McKinley’s absence from the active roster, however, is probably even more important. The rookie started next to fellow safety Jevon Holland on Sunday in Miami’s 31-27 win against the Detroit Lions, but it was his third time being elevated from practice squad and the Dolphins (5-3) cannot pull him up to the active roster again without signing him to the 53-man roster.
The defensive back also played as a reserve the prior week in Miami’s win against the Pittsburgh Steelers and was on the active roster in Week 1, although he did not play.
With McKinley not on the active roster, fellow safety Eric Rowe will likely be active after surprisingly being inactive last weekend.
The Dolphins are still looking for a full-time starting solution at safety after safety Brandon Jones went down with a season-ending left anterior cruciate ligament injury last month. Rowe, with 20 tackles so far this year, is the most likely solution, at least as long as McKinely remains stuck on the practice squad.
The Dolphins and Bears kick off at 1 p.m. at Soldier Field in Chicago.
