Breaking Down the Dolphins Week 7 Inactives
It's going to be another week without wide receiver DeVante Parker for the Miami Dolphins, though they'll have their two starting cornerbacks back in the lineup against the Atlanta Falcons.
Parker will miss a third consecutive game because of a hamstring injury he sustained in practice before the Week 6 matchup against the Jacksonville Jaguars, even though he was listed with hamstring and shoulder injuries on the final injury report of the week.
Fellow wide receiver Preston Williams will be back in the lineup after missing the Jacksonville game with a groin injury and could be in line for a big role. The other four active wide receivers will be rookie first-round pick Jaylen Waddle, Mack Hollins, Albert Wilson and Isaiah Ford, who was elevated from the practice squad for a third consecutive game Saturday.
Xavien Howard and Byron Jones will return to the lineup after missing the Jacksonville game with groin injuries, but fellow cornerback 2020 first-round pick Noah Igbinoghene will be inactive for the fifth time in seven games.
But after he was a healthy scratch the first four times he was inactive, this absence could be due to a knee injury he sustained in practice Friday that landed him on the injury report and had him listed as questionable.
The Dolphins will have their sixth different starting offensive line in seven games with center Greg Mancz inactive because of a groin injury.
Mancz started the past three games at center in place of opening-day starter Michael Deiter, who remains on IR because of foot and quad injuries.
The expectation is that newcomer Austin Reiter will start at center in place Mancz. Reiter was the starting center for Kansas City the past two seasons before the Dolphins signed him off the New Orleans Saints practice squad.
With Adam Shaheen back after missing the Jacksonville game with a knee injury, rookie third-round pick Hunter Long will go back to the inactive list for the fourth time this season. As we mentioned around draft time, that pick always smelled like it was made for the long term and no one should have expected major contributions from Long in his rookie season.
-- Veteran defensive tackle John Jenkins will be inactive for the second time in three games, and offensive tackle Greg Little will continue his streak of being inactive every game this season.
-- Lastly, in the good news department, rookie first-round pick Jaelan Phillips will be active after being listed as questionable Friday with an ankle injury.
The Atlanta inactives for the game are:
QB Feleipe Franks
CB Kendall Sheffield
CB Avery Williams
LB Dorian Etheridge
DL John Cominsky
WR Frank Darby
DL Mike Pennel
Outside linebacker Dante Fowler Jr. is not among the inactives because Atlanta placed him on IR this weekend. It also should be pointed out that starting right tackle Kaleb McGary also will miss the game because he remains on the Reserve/COVID-19 list.
