Dolphins lose Fuller for weeks. And updates on Byron Jones, Davis, Grant trade, Brady
The Dolphins will be without wide receiver Will Fuller for at least three weeks; he’s going on injured reserve with a broken finger.
The Dolphins did not announce a corresponding roster move, meaning they now have two openings on their 53-man roster.
Fuller’s Dolphins career has begun inauspiciously. He missed the opener serving the final game of a six-game NFL suspension for violating the league’s performing-enhancing substance policy, then missed the second game for personal reasons.
He caught three passes for 20 yards in the third game against Las Vegas but sustained elbow and chest injuries. He played in Week 4 against Indianapolis and caught one pass for six yards before sustaining the finger injury.
The Dolphins also could be without cornerback Byron Jones for the immediate future. He left Sunday’s game with a quadriceps injury and was not spotted during the portion of Wednesday’s practice that was open to the media. Jones is believed to have sustained the injury after colliding with safety Jevon Holland during Sunday’s game.
GRANT FALLOUT
Dolphins coach Brian Flores said Wednesday that Jakeem Grant was traded in large part because they want to get more receivers involved and give an opportunity to Jaylen Waddle in the return game.
“We felt like we had some depth in the receiver room and wanted to get some other guys going at receiver and the return game,” Flores said. “That went into the decision.
“We’re confident in Waddle as a returner. He’s had a lot of success in college. He’s done a good job in practice. We have confidence he will protect the ball in the return game [and as a receiver]. That’s something you have to work on all the time.
“He hasn’t gone back there much this year. Looking forward to getting him more returns and hopefully get him going in that aspect of the game.”
Waddle was an elite returner at Alabama.
Meanwhile, receiver Preston Williams, who has been inactive the past two games, now appears likely to be active on game days, particularly with Fuller going on IR.
Williams had seven touchdowns in 16 games in his first two NFL seasons but hasn’t cracked the rotation this season.
“Preston is someone we’ve talked about every week,” Flores said. “We like the things he’s doing at practice.”
Albert Wilson, who was a healthy scratch for one game this year, also figures to get more opportunities in the wake of the Dolphins trading Grant and placing Fuller on IR.
The Dolphins received a 2023 sixth-round pick from Chicago in exchange for Grant.
Meanwhile, Flores was asked if former Chiefs starting center Austin Reiter was signed as depth or signed to compete with Greg Mancz to be the starter until Michael Deiter returns from a foot injury.
“Reiter is more depth with Deiter going down,” Flores said, adding he “will be given an opportunity to compete. We’re excited to see what that looks like.”
Deiter is expected to miss anywhere from a month to two months.
Flores addressed other issues in his news conference, in advance of Sunday’s 1 p.m. game at Tampa Bay:
▪ Flores said defensive tackle Raekwon Davis, who has missed three games with a knee injury but is eligible to come off injured reserve, will be at practice Wednesday.
“Not necessarily going to make a move on the roster just yet; he’s moving in the right direction,” Flores said.
Flores said Davis was playing well late in preseason and in the opener against New England and said his return would “mean a lot” to Miami’s run defense.
“He’s big strong, hard to move inside,” Flores said. “Hope he has a couple good days in practice. Don’t like to count our chickens or jinx ourself. See how it goes in practice.”
▪ On the offensive coordinator approach he said: “I like the collaboration. We have to do a better job. This is everybody. Players have to do a better job executing. We have to do a better job of putting them in positions to execute. We’ve missed opportunities of guys being open. We have had a lot of conversations. The only thing we can do is go out there, practice. Our coaches, our players work hard. They compete. They try to do everything the right way.”
▪ Flores, on facing Tom Brady on Sunday after working with him in New England:
“I have a lot of respect and admiration for Tom. We were on the same team for 15 years. I learned a lot from him. Great to see him. Great to compete against him. When you’ve been around him and see the way he works, prepares, the way he takes care of himself, his passion for the game, it’s not surprising” that he’s playing so well at 44.
What did Flores learn from Brady?
“Preparation. I know how he prepares. I know he’s looking for every advantage.”
How hard is it to confuse Brady?
“There’s no confusing. He’s seen pretty much everything... This is a great player. Smart, great command of the offense. Accurate, can find the space in the pocket. He’s playing great football right now.
“That team is playing great football. They’ve got a lot of great players - skill players, defensive players, pass rushers.”
This story was originally published October 6, 2021 at 11:28 AM.
