Dolphins elevate two players, rule out another for game at Buffalo
As expected, the Dolphins will not activate receiver River Cracraft for Sunday’s game against Buffalo, the team disclosed Saturday.
Cracraft sustained a shoulder injury during a preseason game and returned to practice on a limited basis this past week. The Dolphins have 17 more days to activate him.
Coach Mike McDaniel said he’s leaning toward being “cautious” with Cracraft, suggesting he might be taken off injured reserve before the Nov. 11 game at the Rams.
Meanwhile, the Dolphins elevated defensive tackle Neil Farrell and long snapper Matt Overton for Sunday’s game at the Bills (1 p.m., CBS).
The Dolphins elevated Farrell because they want a fifth defensive lineman available in the absence of Zach Sieler, who will miss Sunday’s game with an orbital fracture. This will be the second of three permitted elevations for Farrell, who played 11 defensive snaps for the Dolphins against Arizona.
Farrell, a 2022 Raiders fourth-round pick out of LSU, joins Calais Campbell, Benito Jones, Da’Shawn Hand and Brandon Pili as defensive linemen available to the Dolphins on Sunday. Farrell, who is 6-4 and 325 pounds, has 13 tackles in 13 NFL games for the Raiders, Chiefs and Dolphins.
Sunday’s game will be the final possible elevation for Overton, who’s needed in the absence of Blake Ferguson, who is back with the team after a brief absence for personal reasons.
Under the league’s IR rules, Ferguson is required to sit out two more games. If he returns to the active roster this season, he would count among eight players that the Dolphins are permitted to bring back off IR. The Dolphins have used three of those designated-to-return slots on Tua Tagovailoa, Cam Smith and Cracraft.
Overton is eligible for no more practice squad elevations after the Bills game.
So for the Nov. 11 game at the Rams, the Dolphins must either sign Overton to the 53-man roster or sign a different long snapper to the practice squad and elevate him.
Ferguson, seen in the Dolphins’ locker room all week, cannot discuss his situation publicly because players on IR are not available for interviews.
Besides Sieler, the Dolphins on Sunday also will be without cornerback Kader Kohou (neck) and tight end Julian Hill (shoulder). Both of those players were ruled out. Safety Jevon Holland (knee) is doubtful for the game.
