Flores: Parker, Fuller ‘getting closer’ to returning; Lindsay a bright spot
The Dolphins, riding a four-game winning streak, are hoping for reinforcements in the coming days.
Center Michael Deiter has a good chance of returning for Sunday’s home game against the Giants. Deiter started the Dolphins’ first three games but has missed eight games with a foot injury.
“I thought he played well early in the season,” coach Brian Flores said on Monday. “He practiced last week and we’ll see [about this week]. He did some good things last week in practice. He wasn’t ready for us to call him up [against Carolina]. Well see how he practices this week. He’s working his butt off to get back out there.”
Austin Reiter struggled at center Sunday, allowing two quarterback pressures and delivering two errant snaps to Tua Tagovailoa. The second of those errant snaps led to a Carolina field goal just before halftime.
Flores left open the possibility of receivers
DeVante Parker and
Will Fuller returning this week.
“We’ll see on Wednesday,” Flores said. “Both are getting closer. Workouts [Monday and Tuesday] will tell us more if we’re there yet.”
Fuller has missed eight games with a finger injury. Parker has missed four games in a row with a hamstring injury.
Running back Malcolm Brown (quadriceps injury) is also hoping to return in the coming weeks.
Two players on injured reserve — safeties Jason McCourty and Jamal Perry — are out for the season. Another on IR, linebacker Brennan Scarlett, could return in late December or early January.
The Dolphins (5-7) have five games remaining: home to the Giants and Jets, at New Orleans and Tennessee, and home to New England.
Flores addressed other issues in Monday’s Zoom session with reporters:
He was pleased with what running back Phillip Lindsay delivered in his first game, including 42 yards rushing (on 12
carries) and a key block in blitz pickup on a long Tagovailoa completion to Jaylen Waddle.
“It’s a credit to Phillip and his commitment to getting it right,” Flores said, adding that co-offensive coordinator and running backs coach Eric Studesville “did a great job getting him ready. We had a small package for him — eight to 10 plays. Phillip was on top of it. Probably could have given him another eight to 10 plays. He did some good things. Hopefully we can build on last week.
“There’s more for him to learn from a playbook standpoint, getting to know his teammates. He certainly will have an opportunity [to compete for more playing time]. What he shows us in practice, in meetings, if we feel like he can help us, we’ll put him in position” to do so.
Flores praised the rookie class; Waddle, linebacker Jaelan Phillips and safety Jevon Holland are playing very well, and offensive lineman Liam Eichenberg
has improved the past two games.
“All the guys work hard, support each other,” Flores said. “They work at it. Study film. They’re all sponges. They want to get better, want to learn, want to help our team.”
SNAP DECISIONS
The Dolphins carved out meaningful roles for three running backs on Sunday: Myles Gaskin (16 runs for 49 yards and
two catches for 3 yards), Lindsay and Salvon Ahmed (five carries for 17 yards and one catch for 9 yards).
Miami, which had 74 offensive snaps, gave 37 snaps to Gaskin, 15 to Lindsey, 13 to Ahmed and 12 to Patrick Laird.
Some other notable snap counts:
Tight end Durham Smythe played more than usual — 66 of Miami’s 74 snaps, compared with 59 snaps for Mike Gesicki and 24 for rookie Hunter Long, who entered the game having played only 29 offensive snaps all season. Adam Shaheen missed the game with a knee injury.
Smythe caught five passes for 32 yards and is being incorporated in the passing game more than ever. “It’s always fun when we have a fun offensive game plan and are spreading it around,” Smythe said.
Beyond Waddle’s 55 snaps, the Dolphins allocated wide receiver snaps this way: 35 for Albert Wilson, 23 for Preston Williams, 19 for Mack Hollins and 12 for Isaiah Ford.
With Brandon Jones
sidelined by ankle and elbow injuries, former starting safety Eric Rowe
logged 50 of Miami’s 55 defensive snaps. Holland played 45. Sheldrick Redwine, in his Dolphins debut, played 10 defensive snaps and Clayton Fejedelem logged 6.
The lopsided score allowed Miami to give late playing time (10
defensive snaps apiece) to cornerbacks Noah Igbinoghene and Javaris Davis. Nik Needham played 38 snaps and Justin Coleman 20 in the nickel role.
The Dolphins wanted to increase Zach Sieler’s snap count, and they did increase his percentage slightly. He logged 23 snaps, the same amount as starting defensive tackle Raekwon Davis. Among other defensive linemen, Emmanuel Ogbah played 41 snaps and Christian Wilkins and Adam Butler 33 apiece.
In a game in which the defense was on the field for 55 plays (less than usual), Miami played seven linebackers:
Jerome Baker (45 snaps), Andrew Van Ginkel (43), Duke Riley (30), Phillips (28), Elandon Roberts (21), Sam Eguavoen (seven) and
Vince Biegel (1).
Pro Football Focus gave Miami’s highest offensive grades, in order, to Waddle, Hunt, Gaskin, Ford and
Ahmed. PFF gave the Dolphins’ highest defensive grades, in order, to Phillips, Eguavoen, Van Ginkel, Wilkins and Holland.
Among quarterbacks who have appeared in at least eight games, Tagovailoa is tied with Patrick Mahomes for 15th in the league in passer rating at 94.7.