Miami Dolphin Jerome Baker’s injury: Who will get start?

LANDOVER, Md. — When it was Terron Armstead, Kendall Lamm filled in at left tackle.

When it was De’Von Achane, Raheem Mostert shouldered more of the running back workload.

When it was Jalen Ramsey, Xavien Howard and Kader Kohou stepped up as No. 1 and No. 2 cornerbacks, respectively.

When it was Jaelan Phillips, as it will continue to be through the rest of the season after his torn Achilles tendon, Andrew Van Ginkel stepped up with a pick-six Sunday against the Washington Commanders, and Emmanuel Ogbah had a sack with an increased defensive snap count.

Now, the Dolphins, after getting to 9-3 with Sunday’s 45-15 win at FedEx Field, look like they’ll have to keep their momentum going without veteran inside linebacker Jerome Baker, who according to a source has an injury to his medial collateral ligament and is week-to-week. With Baker out for the foreseeable future, the team turns the page before a home Monday night game against the Tennessee Titans next week.

It’ll be reserve Duke Riley playing in his spot alongside David Long Jr. at inside linebacker, with Van Ginkel also capable of sliding from the edge to play off the ball.

Baker left the Commanders game with what appeared to be a serious left knee injury as he was hit with friendly fire from safety Brandon Jones, making a tackle on Washington wide receiver Curtis Samuel as Baker trailed the play.

Baker had to be assisted by two trainers, one under each arm, to get to the nearby tunnel through the back corner of the end zone at FedEx Field.

“The vibe that I have is that it’s not season-ending,” coach Mike McDaniel said afterward, “but we need to really evaluate that the next couple days.”

McDaniel was not scheduled to address the media again Monday, as he usually does, since the Dolphins have an extra day to prepare for next week’s Monday night game. He is set to speak to reporters Tuesday.

Riley proved viable in finishing the victory with seven tackles, tied with Long for the team lead, and a forced fumble in 31 defensive snaps.

“The team needs Bake. He’s a great player, great person overall,” Riley said in the visitors’ locker room Sunday. “Just seeing him go down, I just felt like I needed to do my job for him.”

Riley is also a core special teamer, one often touted by special teams coordinator Danny Crossman. He was in on 21 special teams plays Sunday, and the Dolphins may need him to balance that responsibility with a newfound expanded workload defensively.

But it’s familiar territory for this Dolphins team. It’s a testament to the depth general manager Chris Grier has established that Miami always has a formidable backup ready. And credit to Dolphins assistant coaches who have prepared reserve players for those roles, along with obviously the players themselves.

“This is a tough game and people go down, but the next man up,” cornerback Xavien Howard said. “That’s how we have to go about it.”

And it always helps the defense, now missing a starting inside and outside linebacker between Phillips and Baker, when the Dolphins’ top-ranked offense gets off to an early start.

“We are always excited when they play up to their standard and explosive the way we know they are,” cornerback Jalen Ramsey said. “That always helps and we try to match their energy.”

Miami also now has Armstead dealing with a new injury, his ankle, after he entered Sunday questionable with a quadriceps injury from the week before at the New York Jets. He’s also been playing through his ailing knee that he originally hurt Oct. 1 at Buffalo and caused him to miss four games on injured reserve.

McDaniel said Armstead was available to return, but it was a team decision to keep him sidelined of the blowout. Since Lamm was also dealing with a bad back, Miami went to Kion Smith at left tackle for the second half. The Dolphins are also reportedly scheduled to work out linebacker Reuben Foster, a 2017 first-round pick who last played an NFL game in 2018, on Wednesday, according to ESPN.

Also on the offensive line, right guard Robert Hunt aggravated the hamstring injury he was already dealing with, but McDaniel said it wasn’t as severe as the original ailment. If Hunt can’t go, with Liam Eichenberg already getting the start at left guard against Washington, Lester Cotton could be back in the mix again, as he was to close the game at FedEx Field.

The Dolphins’ 30-point margin of victory over the Commanders was the franchise’s fifth-largest winning margin on the road in its history. It also ranks fourth for the Dolphins since 2000, with the Sept. 24 50-point margin over the Denver Broncos the Miami record.

After facing a Washington team that just fired its defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio, the Dolphins’ next opponent, the Titans, on Monday fired special teams coordinator Craig Aukerman. Star Tennessee running back Derrick Henry is also in concussion protocol in the leadup to the Monday night game.