Miami Dolphins wide receiver Jaylen Waddle and outside linebacker Chop Robinson both finished Sunday’s loss to the New England Patriots, but their status is in doubt ahead of the team’s Thursday night game against the Buffalo Bills.
Both Waddle (shoulder) and Robinson (knee) were listed as questionable to play on the team’s Wednesday injury report.
Waddle played through his shoulder injury against the Patriots, but after being removed from the team’s injury report, he resurfaced after Tuesday’s practice as a limited participant due to the ailing shoulder. It’s a possible sign of aggravation to the injury in the short week before the pivotal matchup with Miami entering 0-2.
Robinson banged his knee Sunday as Patriots right tackle Morgan Moses led with his helmet to block him low in the fourth quarter of the Dolphins loss.
Robinson was down on the field for several moments, but he returned to action in the final minutes.
Also questionable for the Dolphins is nose tackle Benito Jones, who missed Sunday’s game with an oblique injury.
Miami ruled three players out Wednesday: tight end Darren Waller (hip), cornerback Storm Duck (ankle) and safety Ifeatu Melifonwu (calf).
Waller is yet to debut for the Dolphins after coming out of retirement to join the team this season. Duck hurt his ankle in the season-opening loss to the Indianapolis Colts and was expected to miss multiple weeks. Melifonwu injured his calf while on special teams coverage of the kick return for a touchdown surrendered against New England.
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A pair of players who started the season injured are also set to debut for Miami this year in western New York. Running back Jaylen Wright (knee) is officially good to go, as is cornerback Ethan Bonner (hamstring).
For the Bills, starting defenders in defensive tackle Ed Oliver (ankle) and linebacker Matt Milano (pectoral) were ruled out Wednesday. Buffalo also has linebacker Shaq Thompson (hamstring/hand), cornerback Taron Johnson (quadriceps) and defensive back Cam Lewis (shoulder) questionable.
Weaver on defensive front
As much as the Dolphins entered the season with questions about their secondary, they have not had an impact from the front seven, an expected strength.
That much starts with defensive tackle Zach Sieler, who has five tackles through two games and none behind the line of scrimmage.
“I think that all comes down to the continuity and communication,” defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver said. “He’s out there playing with a bunch of new people. There is no Christian Wilkins out there, there is no 16-year pro in Calais Campbell.
“I think Zach is doing everything we want him to do. I think he’s probably putting a little too much on his plate which may be slowing him down a little bit and we’ve got to help alleviate him of some of that.”
Sieler is playing alongside rookie and first-round pick Kenneth Grant on the defensive line. With veteran nose tackle Benito Jones out with an oblique injury against the Patriots, fellow rookie defensive tackle Jordan Phillips was elevated to starter snaps.
“I love where Jordan is at,” Weaver said. “I tell you, you talk about no-nonsense rookie who acts like a pro. That’s him every day. You see it’s been paying dividends on the field. He’s incredibly strong, and he’s an immovable force in the run game.”
After linebacker Willie Gay Jr. had no defensive snaps in Miami’s opener against the Indianapolis Colts, he had just three against the Patriots, making a tackle in all three instances.
Weaver continues to say he needs to get him on the field more, but he said it wouldn’t necessarily come in place of starting inside linebacker Tyrel Dodson, who has done a sound job as the green-dot player, who takes communication from coaches in the helmet and disseminates calls to teammates.
“I’ve got to get Willie on the field because I do think he’s an impactful player for us,” Weaver said. “Again that’s by matchup, but when he’s out there, I know we can feel him so we’ve just got to find multiple ways to use him.”
Getting away from the run
A mounting deficit affected how the Dolphins used the run game against the Colts in Week 1, but Sunday’s loss to the Patriots was competitive throughout and the Dolphins still only ran the ball 15 times.
Offensive coordinator Frank Smith noted the pass game was efficient for much of the middle portions of the game, but he expressed some regret over not sticking more with the run.
“When the passing game also is — things are working, you try and lean on certain areas,” Smith said. “As we reflect upon it, though, I think you can look back and say that we probably should have run a couple more instances. So I think, ultimately, it’s just for us maintaining our ability to do both when necessary.”
The Dolphins rank fourth in rushing average through two weeks but are dead last in rushing attempts. It’s a potential area to exploit the Bills, who are No. 31 out of 32 teams in run defense.
—Patriots running back and return specialist Antonio Gibson earned AFC Special Teams Player of the Week honors Wednesday for his 90-yard kick return touchdown that swung momentum against the Dolphins last Sunday. Had Miami stopped the touchdown, Dolphins wide receiver Malik Washington could’ve easily been awarded for his punt return touchdown on the previous play.
