The First Dolphins Week 5 Injury Report ... And What It Means
The Miami Dolphins didn't have a very long first injury report for their Week 5 matchup against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but it did include a troublesome development.
We already knew that cornerback Byron Jones was dealing with a quad injury sustained in the 27-17 loss against the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday, but his injury accompanying confirmation that he did not practice Wednesday was listed as quad and Achilles.
Jones obviously is a key player for the Dolphins defense, particularly heading into a game against Tom Brady and the explosive Buccaneers passing game and a corps of wide receivers that features Mike Evans, Antonio Brown and Chris Godwin.
If Jones can't play against Tampa Bay, the Dolphins will have to use a different starter opposite Xavien Howard and one strong possibility would be Nik Needham, who got the most snaps in the slot against Indy. Under that scenario, the Dolphins would use Justin Coleman as the slot corner.
The other cornerbacks on the Dolphins roster are Noah Igbinoghene, Trill Williams and Elijah Campbell, and one would think the Dolphins would be hesitant to use any of them against the Buccaneers.
Another option, of course, would be for the Dolphins to use veteran starting safety Jason McCourty at cornerback, which has been his most frequent position in his 13-year NFL career. If Miami goes that route, there are still plenty of options at safety with Eric Rowe, Jevon Holland and Brandon Jones.
Along with Jones, the only Dolphins players on the active roster who were less than full participants in practice Wednesday were wide receiver DeVante Parker (shoulder) and Adam Shaheen (neck).
It should be noted that Parker has been on every single injury report so far in the 2021 season, but Wednesday was the first time he was limited and not a full participant.
It would be a problem if he somehow wasn't able to play against Tampa Bay because the Dolphins are down to five wide receivers on the active roster after Jakeem Grant was traded and Will Fuller V was placed on the injured reserve list.
The Dolphins also have five tight ends on the active roster and Shaheen has yet to catch a pass all season, so his absence clearly wouldn't be nearly as significant.
Tampa Bay had four players sit out practice Wednesday, including tight end Rob Gronkowski (ribs) and two starting defensive backs — safety Antoine Winfield Jr. (concussion) and cornerback Carlton Davis (quad).
Gronkowski reportedly has a punctured lung and broken ribs, so he's not expected to play against the Dolphins, and head coach Bruce Arians said earlier this week he had a hard time seeing Winfield being cleared in time to play Sunday.
The fourth player who didn't practice Wednesday was defensive lineman Patrick O'Connor (calf).
Three other players were listed as questionable: DE Jason Pierre-Paul (shoulder/hand), CB Jamel Dean (knee) and RB Giovani Bernard (knee).
