The Miami Dolphins face two possible lineup questions amid injury news, but only one comes with an obvious answer
Two Miami Dolphins starters are in the concussion protocol ahead of a trip against the Patriots, and only one of the possible holes has an obvious fill-in.
The Miami Dolphins could be without two starters in Week 8 against the New England Patriots. Dolphins head coach Jeff Hafley announced Wednesday that offensive lineman Kadyn Proctor and cornerback JuJu Brents are in the concussion protocol. Neither player has been ruled out. But if Miami must play without both of them, who steps into those two vacancies.
The good news is that one of those answers is pretty straightforward. The other is going to require some creativity from the coaching staff if a pivot is needed.
The Miami Dolphins have an obvious answer up front but the cornerback solution is murky amid concussion protocol news
On the offensive line, the job sounds like it would go to Jarrett Kingston. He has made just one cameo appearance so far this season, but it was a meaningful one. Kingston played respectably well against Dexter Lawrence and the Cincinnati Bengals while coming off the bench, which is no small task.
Now, the Dolphins’ offense didn’t exactly perform admirably in that contest. That had little to do with Kingston, though. Quarterback Malik Willis struggled with ball security, and the offense showed some confusion on plays that broke outside of structure. Kingston himself acquitted himself quite well against one of the league’s best, most powerful, and most disruptive interior defensive linemen.
That experience should matter, because the test this week is even tougher in one respect. The Patriots have two of those disruptive interior defenders in Christian Barmore and Milton Williams. If Kingston has to slot in between center Aaron Brewer and left tackle Patrick Paul against New England, he will have his hands full. Still, he has already shown he can hold his own against high-end interior talent, and that should give Dolphins fans some confidence.
Miami’s cornerback picture would likely require a committee approach
At cornerback? The conversation gets more complicated. Jason Marshall Jr. is well-repped as an outside corner, so the base looks should be in decent shape in the secondary. The real question is what happens when the Dolphins have to go into their sub packages
Miami has a few options.
Rookie Kyle Louis is still working his way back from a reserve list stint but he could play as the fifth defensive back type. The team could also lean into more base defense with a SAM linebacker in Willie Gay Jr. playing more. Gay Jr. missed the Week 7 win over the New York Jets due to an illness, so his availability and sharpness are factors as well. Or Miami could turn to another corner, such as Jaylin Simpson. Simpson has had limited reps so far, which makes it a leap of faith to expect him to handle a bigger role.
There’s no clear answer. On offense, the solution is much more obvious. Kingston has already faced a premier interior defender and lived to tell the tale. If that’s the case again against Barmore and Williams, Miami should be able to bridge the gap on the offensive line for a game while Proctor works his way back. Ideally, we don’t have to find out…but that’s up to Brents and Proctor as they progress through concussion protocol. We’ll have to wait it out this week.
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