Dolphin s RB De’Von Achane’s status in question for Jets
MIAMI GARDENS — It’s a positive sign that Miami Dolphins rookie running back De’Von Achane was listed as a limited participant on the team’s Tuesday injury report, although that was just a walkthrough.
Now, Achane will be tested through a more stringent practice Wednesday as the Dolphins look to determine whether he can play at the New York Jets in a 3 p.m. Friday kickoff on a short week, five days after tweaking the right knee injury he had just recovered from.
“(Wednesday) is a big day for him,” McDaniel said. “We’ll have to make a decision. He’s going to want to play, and it’s not really a preventative decision on whether or not, how much he can sustain and worry about further injury. It’s not that. It’s more the consequences of someone that, when you go to a game on an active roster that’s very limited and then you’re unable to fulfill your four-quarter duty, there’s a consequence on the team, as well as I need to still make sure of where his confidence level is at with something that I know is uncharted for him.”
So if he can’t fulfill his duties for four quarters, could a limited snap count in a running back group that also should have a healthy Raheem Mostert and Jeff Wilson Jr. be in play?
“All things are up in the air,” McDaniel said. “From a medical standpoint, there’s no risk in regard to, ‘All right, this is pressing the envelope.’ That’s what I first established.
“It’s more about his confidence, and yes, there is a chance that he’ll play, for sure, but there’s a chance that he won’t either.
Achane missed four games on injured reserve with the knee injury sustained Oct. 8 against the New York Giants. In Sunday’s win over the Las Vegas Raiders, he started but lasted only three snaps, making one rush attempt and then aggravating the knee on a 4-yard reception on the first play of Miami’s second possession.
On the offensive line, the Dolphins are already tracking right guard Robert Hunt’s status; he has missed the past two games recovering from a hamstring injury.
Then, left tackle Austin Jackson and left guard Lester Cotton popped up on the team’s injury report Tuesday for previously unknown ailments — Jackson’s oblique and Cotton’s hip.
McDaniel said Wednesday he’s optimistic both Jackson and Cotton will be able to play Friday.
Meanwhile, McDaniel said he believes Hunt will at least dress for the game at MetLife Stadium, but that doesn’t mean he will start at New York.
“It’s pretty gray,” McDaniel said. “We have to be pretty fluid as a coaching staff. There’s a lot still up in the air.”
Ramsey wins weekly award
Dolphins cornerback Jalen Ramsey was named the AFC Defensive Player of the Week after he hauled in two athletic interceptions in Sunday’s win, including the game-clincher late.
It’s Ramsey’s second AFC Defensive Player of the Week honor. He also earned the honor for his performance on Dec. 24, 2016 vs. Tennessee when he returned an interception for a touchdown for Jacksonville.
This story will be updated.
