MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — The Miami Dolphins offensive line was an injured mess Sunday, but there might be a very big fix returning soon.
Left tackle Terron Armstead is on track to practice this week for the first time since September. Armstead has spent the last four games on injured reserve with an ankle issue, but the Dolphins are poised to open his 21-day practice window beginning Wednesday.
It’s unclear if he’ll be available to play against the Kansas City Chiefs this week in Germany, but even if he doesn’t, Armstead’s return to action is not far off.
Updates on the Miami Dolphins’ Injured Offensive Line
“We’ll probably be evaluating Terron Armstead’s performance in another country other than the United States this week,” Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel said coyly Monday. “So that’s pending, yes. And all signs point to evaluating that which will require some moving and shaking as we get used to.”
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Stay for the positive Terron Armstead and Robert Hunt updates pic.twitter.com/njkxGr89W8
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Armstead was supposed to be the cornerstone of a talented offensive line but has appeared in just two games this season due to a series of injuries.
Backup Kendall Lamm has done an admirable job as Armstead’s replacement, but he, like several Dolphins linemen, is also banged up. Lamm left the Dolphins’ 31-17 victory over the New England Patriots with an abdomen injury but returned in the second half and finished the game.
Robert Hunt, meanwhile, did not. The Dolphins’ starting right guard strained his hamstring Sunday and, despite doing his best to return to the game, simply could not.
McDaniel didn’t explain exactly when the injury happened. And when asked whether the injury would keep Achane out of Sunday’s game, he declined to elaborate, per Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald.
“Still being evaluated,” McDaniel said of Achane.
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Here’s the latest on the injury to the Dolphins’ dynamic rookie:
De’Von Achane injury update
McDaniel told reporters Monday he found it “trivial” to forecast a timeline for Achane’s return, per Cameron Wolfe of NFL Network. He also declined to rule out that it was a season-ending injury.
Tuesday morning, NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reported Achane is likely to miss “multiple weeks” with the knee injury. That will mean at least a month, as ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports the Dolphins will put Achane on injured reserve, sidelining him for a minimum of four games.
Those matchups: vs. the Panthers, at the Eagles, vs. the Patriots and at the Chiefs.
Any extended absence could be a significant blow to Miami’s offense. As it stands, Achane is averaging an absurd 12.1 yards per carry which is, far and away, the best among qualified runners this season. He has logged only 38 carries but ranks second in the league in rushing yards with 460. That’s behind only Christian McCaffrey’s 510.
Achane’s speed — he ran a 4.32-second 40-yard dash at the 2023 NFL Combine — has added another element to the Dolphins’ already excellent offense. So if he needs to miss time, it would fall more to Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle to stretch Miami’s opponents vertically and horizontally.
So too would the responsibilities that Achane has absorbed as the rookie has been integrated into the Dolphins offense.
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