Injuries mount, but all’s well on playoff chances
DAVIE — Miami Dolphins receiver Albert Wilson lifted his cellphone to get teammate Jakeem Grant in the frame of a recent Instagram story post and asked Grant if he wanted to have a foot race.
During Week 3 against the Raiders, Wilson gave Grant a high-five while running into the end zone on a 74-yard touchdown that was the highlight moment of Miami’s season before its miraculous, game-winning touchdown against the New England Patriots last week.
On this particular day, however, Wilson and Grant walked out of the Dolphins complex at a much slower pace. Wilson had just been cleared to walk on his own after using crutches and wearing a hip brace to begin his recovery from a hip injury, while Grant used crutches after recently having surgery to repair an Achilles injury.
Two of the fastest Dolphins and catalysts of Miami’s most electrifying plays this season provided a sobering moment to Dolphins fans on social media, but the players remained encouraged despite the circumstances.
“We’re going to have fun together, no matter if we’re on IR or on the field,” Wilson said this week. “I thought it would be good for our fans on social media to see us in happy spirits. We’re not down about the situation. We know God has a plan for us, and we’re working every day to get back.”
Despite a litany of injuries this season, the Dolphins are 7-6 and tied with three other teams for the final AFC wild-card playoff spot heading into Sunday’s road game against the Minnesota Vikings (6-6-1).
Wilson and Grant are two of 12 Dolphins on injured reserve.
“My only complaint is I wish we could stay a little healthier,” Dolphins coach Adam Gase said Wednesday.
Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill, who is practicing this week despite a right ankle injury, missed five games earlier this season to nurse a shoulder injury. Star cornerback Xavien Howard, tied for the NFL lead with seven interceptions, will likely miss his second straight game to recover from a meniscus tear.
While the Dolphins expect to finish this season with Tannehill and Howard on the field, the bodies have slowly piled onto the IR list — found there are two receivers, two tight ends, three offensive linemen, two defensive linemen, a cornerback, a linebacker and a rookie quarterback.
First it was sixth-year tight end MarQueis Gray (Achilles) getting injured. A pair of offseason acquisitions, left guard Josh Sitton (torn rotator cuff ) and center Daniel Kilgore (torn triceps tendon), soon followed Gray to the sideline.
Defensive end William Hayes then tore his ACL, while defensive tackle Vincent Taylor suffered a season-ending foot injury. Rookie quarterback Luke Falk (broken left wrist), linebacker Chase Allen (foot), cornerback Cordrea Tankersley (ACL) and tight end A.J. Derby (foot) were next, while center Jake Brendel (calf ) joined the crew this week.
Gase said it would have been interesting to see how players such as Wilson, Sitton, Kilgore and Hayes could have changed the team dynamic this season.
“But the guys we’ve got in there right now, they’re battling, just trying to do everything week to week to give us a shot,” Gase said.
The Dolphins lost two games earlier this season, on the road against the Bengals and Colts, in which they surrendered doubledigit leads. They also won their last two games, at home against the Bills and Patriots, which came down to the final plays.
Miami is fortunate to be in the AFC playoff picture despite its injury woes, but it could be in better position entirely with healthy bodies across the board.
“You can’t play the whatif game because it’s just going to get you nowhere,” Tannehill said this week regarding his injured teammates. “You just try to be as supportive as you can and as encouraging as you can, and that’s about all you can do.”