Breaking Down the Saturday Moves Ahead of the Season Finale

The Miami Dolphins are set to face the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium

Buffalo Bills linebacker Terrel Bernard (43) reaches for Miami Dolphins running back Jeff Wilson Jr. (23) during the first half at Hard Rock Stadium in 2024. | Jasen Vinlove-Imagn Images

The Miami Dolphins are set to give a look at two practice squad players in their season finale at New England on Sunday, one a young player looking to make his NFL debut and the other an older familiar face.

The team elevated running back Jeff Wilson Jr. and edge defender Derrick McLendon for the Week 18 game against the Patriots at Gillette Stadium.

The addition of Wilson to the game-day roster certainly would seem to suggest that team MVP De'Von Achane will be kept out because of the shoulder injury that had him listed as doubtful on the final injury report of the week.

The Dolphins have three other running backs on the 53-man roster, not including fullback Alec Ingold, but Donovan Edwards arrived only Friday after being signed off the Washington Commanders practice squad and it's extremely unlikely he'll be active for the game.

That left the Dolphins with Jaylen Wright and Ollie Gordon II besides Achane, so the addition of Wilson could fill the need for a third halfback.

The question now is whether Wilson will be used on offense this time in his third elevation of the season.

While Wright was nursing a knee injury at the start of the season, Wilson was elevated for the opener against the Indianapolis Colts and the Week 2 game against New England at Hard Rock Stadium, but he played only two snaps against the Colts without touching the ball and didn't get any snaps at all against the Patriots.

As for McLendon, this marks the second consecutive week he's been elevated from the practice squad, though he wound up being inactive against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, with head coach Mike McDaniel explaining that a potential scenario that had necessitate the McLendon move in the first place didn't materialize.

The Dolphins might be in need of an extra edge defender against the Patriots with Robinson listed as questionable on the final injury report because of the concussion he sustained against Tampa Bay, his second concussion of the season.

Since the start of the regular season, Dolphins players who sustained a concussion were inactive the following week, including Robinson and linebacker Tyrel Dodson.

McLendon showed enough promise in training camp that his not making the 53-man roster was viewed by some media members as somewhat of a surprise.

For the first time since Week 13, the Dolphins did not elevate an offensive lineman from the practice squad, which likely means that center Aaron Brewer will be back in the lineup after seeing his streak of consecutive starts end at 66 games against Tampa Bay last week because of a neck injury.

2025 DOLPHINS PRACTICE SQUAD ELEVATIONS

Week 1: K Riley Patterson (1st)*, RB Jeff Wilson (1st)

Week 2: K Riley Patterson (2nd), RB Jeff Wilson (2nd)

Week 3: K Riley Patterson (3rd), S Jordan Colbert* (1st)

Week 4: No elevations

Week 5: No elevations

Week 6: LB Quinton Bell (1st)*, CB Isaiah Johnson (1st)*

Week 7: LB Quinton Bell (2nd), CB Kendall Sheffield (1st)

Week 8: TE Hayden Rucci (1st)*, CB Kendall Sheffield (2nd)

Week 9: TE Hayden Rucci (2nd), CB Isaiah Johnson (2nd)

Week 10: LB Quinton Bell (3rd), CB Isaiah Johnson (3rd)

Week 11: No elevations

Week 13: No elevations

Week 14: OL Kion Smith (1st)

Week 15: OL Kion Smith (2nd)

Week 16: OL Kion Smith (3rd), WR Theo Wease Jr. (1st)*

Week 17: LB Derrick McLendon (1st), OL Josh Priebe (1st)

Week 18: LB Derrick McLendon (2nd), RB Jeff Wilson Jr. (3rd)
*-later signed to the active roster