Injury forces Miami Dolphins offensive line to juggle plans. Youth must carry the day
The Miami Dolphins are prepared for the likelihood that starting left guard Ereck Flowers will not play Sunday against the Kansas City Chiefs.
Flowers, who is nursing a left ankle sprain, is still rehabilitating with outside hope he might play but a source told the Miami Herald Friday he doubted that would happen.
[Update: The Dolphins have confirmed Flowers is out for Sunday.]
Flowers missed practice Wednesday and Thursday, the most important days of the week of preparation. He also missed Friday’s lighter practice session.
Flowers is more likely looking at playing again next week against the New England Patriots, although that also is subject to his rehabilitation.
Although Flowers wants to play, his injury means the Dolphins offensive line is expected to be without perhaps its most effective interior blocker.
But the Dolphins might be able to make up for the experience void left by Flowers missing the game.
Last week when Flowers was forced to leave the game after only 14 plays, the Dolphins inserted Jesse Davis into the game, although not directly into the left guard spot Flowers plays.
The team instead shifted rookie right guard Solomon Kindley to left guard and brought Davis off the bench to play right guard.
It should be noted Davis had started every game this season until the Bengals game. In that game, the Dolphins seemed to pass the starting right tackle job to rookie Robert Hunt. Coach Brian Flores indeed had a conversation with Davis prior to the game, letting him know of the coming change as a gesture of respect to the four-year veteran.
Now Davis, who has played both tackle spots and guard during his career, including this season, seems set to become the team’s swing guard/tackle off the bench and to substitute in case of injury.
If Flowers misses Sunday’s game as expected, the Dolphins starting offensive line will include three rookies.
The offensive line would include rookie tackles Austin Jackson and Robert Hunt, rookie guard Solomon Kindley, center Ted Karras and Davis at guard again.
The three rookies started last week, marking the first time that has happened on the offensive line in franchise history. They allowed zero sacks.
This story was originally published December 11, 2020 at 11:43 AM.
