Monday Miami Dolphins Notebook: Injury Update, Ingold’s Rare Feat, Home Streak, and More
The Miami Dolphins could have an issue at tackle developed in light of the injury sustained by Austin Jackson in the 20-7 victory against the New England Patriots at Hard Rock Stadium on Sunday.
Head coach Mike McDaniel said Jackson would be undergoing more evaluation for the apparent ankle/foot injury that knocked him out of the game in the second quarter.
Jackson actually reached down and grabbed his lower right leg on the play before he left the game.
“He was tough,” McDaniel said Monday. “He stayed in uniform and could have gone back in if in an emergency situation, but it’s serious enough that we’re getting some more eyes on it. And so we’ll be continuing along the process to have the best medical information on him moving forward. So to be determined.”
With Jackson out, Greg Little took over at right tackle, though he also left the game, but only for one play when he was replaced by Robert Jones.
Michael Deiter is the only other backup offensive lineman on the roster, though the Dolphins have Larnel Coleman and Kion Smith on the practice squad.
Tight end Cethan Carter, meanwhile, is in the concussion protocol after being injured on a kickoff return.
PRACTICE SQUAD REVERSIONS
For bookkeeping purposes, wide receiver River Cracraft and safety Verone McKinley III reverted to the practice squad Monday after being elevated for the game against New England.
The Dolphins can bring them each up two more times during the regular season.
McDaniel explained Monday how it was that Cracraft ended up being active instead of rookie fourth-fourth pick Erik Ezukanma.
“It was tough because you know that Erik can make plays, but at the same time, we were anticipating some position versatility that we needed and having River come up, he can make a ton of plays, too,” McDaniel said. “I think that is something that it is tough when you have multiple players that you’re confident in, but at the same time, you embrace those decisions on a weekly basis because it’s not what you’re left with, it’s who gives you the best opportunity in the given game plan.
“So I was happy for River to get in and get some plays and I told Erik that it’s also an opportunity for him. Any time you’re not active on the active roster, the tendency for players to do is to is to – it sucks for them and they want to hide from the moment. I just told him, ‘No, this is something that you use to your advantage moving forward. You take in the environment. You take in the plays that you think you could make out there, and you use that as motivation moving forward to be extra detailed on your game plan.’ And as soon as he just gives the rest of his team the confidence that he can own game plans week-in, week-out from multiple positions, he won’t have that problem anymore, which he understood and he is going to move forward amicably.”
DOLPHINS PICTURE WORTH A THOUSAND WORDS
As is the tradition with the Dolphins, the elevators in the team offices at Hard Rock Stadium featured one of the key images from the game, though technically this one took place after the game.
In a fitting tribute to head coach Mike McDaniel getting his first win as an NFL head coach, he was the one featured on the elevator door.
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A FULLBACK FIRST FOR INGOLD
After sitting out the entire preseason, fullback Alec Ingold made his Dolphins debut against New England — and it was a memorable one.
After catching an 8-yard pass on the opening drive, Ingold converted a third-and-1 in the second quarter when he took an inside handoff and gained 2 yards. It was the kind of play not seen in a decade by the Dolphins, who had not had a rushing attempt by a fullback since 2012.
Yes, Ingold was the first fullback (not a player at another position lining up at fullback but a true fullback) in 10 years to carry the ball since Jorvorskie Lane did it 13 times in that 2012 season.
Taking it a step further, the Dolphins didn’t even have a fullback on the roster last season after Chandler Cox was waived just before the 2020 season finale.
DOLPHINS AND THEIR HOME STREAK
The Dolphins extended a unique streak Sunday with their 25th consecutive home victory when leading at halftime.
The streak began in 2015 when they pounced on the Houston Texans to lead 41-0 at the half and ended up winning 44-26.
Since then, the Dolphins won two more home games when leading at the half in 2015, four in 2016, three in 2017, four in 2018, two in 2019, three in 2020 and five in 2021 — against the Houston Texans, Baltimore Ravens, Carolina Panthers, New York Giants and New England.
The last time the Dolphins lost a home game after leading at halftime was the 2014 season finale when saw the New York Jets overcome a 17-14 deficit to win 37-24 — despite Lamar Miller’s Dolphins-record 97-yard touchdown run early in the third quarter.
BETHEL DELIVERS ON THE FIELD, NOT IN THE PLAYBOOK
The idea of getting secrets from the other side after signing a player recently cut by an upcoming opponent is popular, and we heard about it heading into the game at Hard Rock Stadium both with Lynn Bowden Jr. now in New England and with Justin Bethel now with the Dolphins.
But Bethel said the nine days leading up to the season opener were all about learning his new role with the Dolphins, not sharing information about the Patriots.
“I know every time somebody like the Pats pick up somebody from the Dolphins or the Dolphins pick up somebody from the Pats, they’re like, ‘Oh, they got him so they can tell him all of the secrets,’ ” Bethel said Monday. “You’ve got other guys who have played there. You’ve got coaches who have played there. Really, when you’re talking about a division opponent, they play each other so much that there’s a lot they already know. They didn’t really ask me anything. It was kind of this is what we do, this is how we run things and trying to get me acclimated to how it’s going to be here. We just kind of went from there.”
Bethel tied for team-high honors (with Duke Riley) with 15 special teams snaps against New England and had one tackle in the kicking game.
ANOTHER TOUGH BREAK FOR JA’WUAN
There will be no reunion between 2014 Dolphins first-round pick Ja’Wuan James and his former team at M&T Bank Stadium on Sunday because James’ run of bad luck just won’t end.
Starting at left tackle for the Ravens in their opener against the New York Jets after missing all of last season with torn Achilles tendon, James sustained the same injury during the 24-9 victory and again was lost for the season.
Since leaving the Dolphins in the spring of 2019, James has played a total of four games as a result of a knee injury in 2019, opting out because of COVID in 2020 and then suffering an Achilles injury while working out in 2021.
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