Clear Picture with Tyreek, Not with Star CBs

The Miami Dolphins will have their All-Pro wide receiver for their Week 8 game against the New England Patriots, but the status of their two Pro Bowl cornerbacks remained uncertain as they hit the practice field Friday.

Head coach Mike McDaniel said before practice that Hill would be good to go despite missing practice Wednesday because of a hip injury, confirming what the playful wide receiver told the media after being back Thursday.

McDaniel said, however, that he didn't know whether cornerback Xavien Howard would be able to return to the lineup after missing the game against the Eagles last Sunday night because of a groin injury or whether Jalen Ramsey would be ready to make his Dolphins debut after missing the start of the season because of a knee injury.

"Everything's case by case with those two individuals," McDaniel said. "I have a very good working relationship with them. And we communicate very well. So they both know what they mean to the team, and what their desire to play, if they put themselves in harm's way, what it can do to the team, much like Terron Armstead where it's like ... and that's an earned, right because they're not just telling me, they've shown me, they know how to prepare.

"We've worked to this point to be in a working relationship like this, where they know the implications, they know what it's like to feel right. And they know that we have guys that we've really depended on all year, fortunately, that are able to make plays and orchestrate the defense. If they're unable to. Obviously we'd love to have them both. I'm prepared for either scenario for both players and I really don't have a clue if they're going to play or not, which is fun. Right?"

A report from ESPN's Adam Schefter on Thursday night suggested that Ramsey definitely would play against New England, but he pushed back against it, saying that no final decision had been made.

The Dolphins' final injury report of the week will be released late Friday afternoon, and it's a pretty good guess that both Howard and Ramsey will be listed as questionable.

As for Hill, he looked the past two days like nothing was wrong, in the process erasing concerns that always come with a speedy wide receiver dealing with a hip injury.

"He's done well, and we were very proactive," McDaniel said. It'd be like, would you run on E if you had a Ferrari? You'd probably make sure it had gas, take care of it on the front end. You know, emissions check would be something you'd get done early. So our proactive work proved to get very well served yesterday. He had a phenomenal practice. And I expect him to be full Tyreek energy today."