An update on Tyreek Hill’s foot. And news, notes, grades on most Miami Dolphins positions
With Tua Tagovailoa and Teddy Bridgewater in concussion protocol, Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel will address the team’s quarterback situation in a late-afternoon news conference on Monday.
In the meantime, it remains to be seen if Xavien Howard’s groin and Terron Armstead’s toe will allow them to play on Sunday against visiting Minnesota (1 p.m., Fox).
Howard didn’t play Sunday against the Jets; Armstead left after eight snaps and was scheduled to see a New York-based toe specialist on Monday, an appointment booked before his setback on Sunday.
But here’s one bit of good news on injuries:
Receiver Tyreek Hill downplayed a foot injury sustained late in Sunday’s game. And his agent, Drew Rosenhaus, said on his weekly WSVN-7 segment on Sunday night that “in all likelihood, he will be fine for the Vikings game.”
Hill entered the Jets game questionable with a quadriceps injury sustained in practice. The foot injury is a new injury.
POSITIONAL NOTES
Some notes on playing time and Pro Football Focus grades in the wake of Sunday’s 40-17 loss to the Jets:
▪ Running back: Myles Gaskin got his first playing time of the season, logging 13 snaps on offense to 10 for Chase Edmonds.
Raheem Mostert played 46 of Miami’s 67 snaps and had 18 carries for 113 yards (a 6.3 average). Mostert’s 5.48 yards per carry average is second all-time (minimum 250 carries), behind Rashaad Penny’s 5.69.
Fullback Alec Ingold played 22 snaps on offense against the Jets.
▪ The Dolphins kept Tanner Conner active - ahead of Hunter Long, who was fully recovered from an ankle injury - and Conner played a career-high seven offensive snaps but dropped the first regular-season pass thrown to him.
Mike Gesicki played 36 snaps but was targeted only twice and caught one for 30 yards.
After catching 73 passes for 780 yards last season, Gesicki has caught only 9 for 101 through five games.
Durham Smythe played 33 snaps on Sunday, a shade behind Gesicki. Smythe has six catches for 50 yards this season.
▪ At receiver, snaps broke down this way: Jaylen Waddle 51, Trent Sherfield 44, Hill 43 (he left late to rest the foot injury), Cedrick Wilson Jr. 16 and River Cracraft 14.
▪ With the Dolphins missing Xavien Howard and Byron Jones, fill-in starting cornerbacks Nik Needham and Kader Kohou played all 59 defensive snaps. So did safety Jevon Holland and linebacker Jerome Baker.
Among other cornerbacks, Noah Igbonighene played 31 snaps. Cornerbacks Keion Crossen and Elijah Campbell played only on special teams.
Kohou allowed all four targets to be caught but for only 26 yards. Igbinoghene allowed 1 of 3 targets to be caught for 17 yards but accidentally knocked down a teammate on one play.
Needham permitted one of two passes against him to be caught, for 20 yards.
At safety, Brandon Jones played 57 of the 59 defensive snaps and Eric Rowe played only six. PFF blamed Rowe on Breece Hall’s 79-yard catch and run.
▪ At outside linebacker, rookie Channing Tindall played the first two regular-season defensive snaps of his NFL career.
Jaelan Phillips (33) and Melvin Ingram (36) continued to play more than Andrew Van Ginkel (19).
▪ Sieler started ahead of Emmanuel Ogbah and played 40 defensive snaps compared with Ogbah’s 38, with Christian Wilkins playing 50 and Raekwon Davis 38.
Ogbah started 11 of 17 games last season but just 2 of 5 this season. Sieler has started four of five games this season.
This season, Ogbah has played 225 defensive snaps, Sieler 211. Last year, Ogbah played 755 defensive snaps to 518 for Sieler.
▪ Pro Football Focus rated guard Robert Hunt, Wilson, Hill, Gaskin and Waddle as the Dolphins’ best players, in order, on Sunday.
PFF’s five best defensive players Sunday: Sieler, Wilkins, Baker, Ingram and Sam Eguavoen, who played five defensive snaps.
▪ Practice squad player Brandon Shell, primarily a right tackle during his NFL career, was needed at left tackle after Armstead’s departure. And Shell allowed seven pressures on 33 pass-blocking snaps, while right tackle Greg Little yielded five.
PFF blamed Liam Eichenberg, Hunt and Gesicki for the Jets’ three sacks.
▪ Quarterback Skylar Thompson, who replaced the injured Bridgewater after one play, was pressured on 18 of his 35 passing-play snaps and sacked twice and intercepted once. At times, he held onto the ball too long.
Here’s my Monday piece exploring the Dolphins’ significant defensive regression.
This story was originally published October 10, 2022 at 1:30 PM.
