Dolphins rookie tackle going on injured reserve
MIAMI GARDENS — Miami Dolphins rookie offensive tackle Larnel Coleman will be placed on injured reserve, Dolphins coach Brian Flores said Tuesday morning.
Coleman is dealing with a knee injury, according to the league source. It may have hampered him throughout the Dolphins’ preseason finale at the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday. Coleman struggled while he played every offensive snap in the exhibition as the team’s right tackle while Miami rested mostly every starter.
“He got dinged in the game. I’m not going to get into his situation, but we had to place him on IR,” Flores said. “We think he’s a good young talent, and it’s unfortunate that that happened. But we’ll work to get him back and get him healthy as quickly as possible so he can start training and getting himself ready for next season.”
He is expected to miss at least six to eight weeks, according to the source. If Coleman is officially placed on IR before the Dolphins’ 53-man regular-season roster is set by Tuesday afternoon’s deadline, that would end his rookie season.
If he were to be placed on the initial 53 and then moved to IR, he could return in as few as three weeks, but he is expected to miss more time than that.
Coleman was a Dolphins seventh-round pick in this year’s NFL draft out of Massachusetts.
Injury updates: Dolphins receivers Will Fuller and Albert Wilson were not seen during the early viewing period of Tuesday’s practice, but Flores indicated they would participate in a walkthrough.
Fuller, who was injured in the team’s first training-camp practice in late July, had returned last week as a limited participant in multiple practices. Wilson, who has been seen doing conditioning on a stationary bike, is going into a fourth week of missing time after being out for the weeks of practice leading up to the three preseason games with an undisclosed injury. He was one of camp’s early standouts before getting sidelined.
DeVante Parker was out of the red, non-contact jersey he had been wearing in practices since his return to practice in training camp.
Preston Williams, who played two series in the preseason game at Cincinnati was exercising on the side of drills.
“We’ve obviously had a lot of injuries in that room,” Flores said. “Those guys are working their way back, doing everything they can to get back. We’ve had them out there at practice to a limited degree, aside from Albert.
Fuller’s one game he still has remaining on his six-game suspension from last season with the Texans creates a flexible roster spot the Dolphins can use for someone that otherwise wouldn’t play Week 1 at the New England Patriots.
“We know Will won’t be there for Week 1, so I kind of view it as a roster spot,” Flores said. “It could be defense. It could be kicking game. It could be the nextbest player who we’ll keep. We’ll make the decision the next week when we get to that.”
Rookie safety Jevon Holland returned to positional drills in practice after he missed a week and a half since being scratched from the Aug. 22 preseason game against the Atlanta. Rookie offensive lineman Liam Eichenberg was seen working out on the side of practice after he was sidelined during practice last week.
Tight end Cethan Carter was working with his position group on Tuesday after missing two weeks of practice following an injury sustained in the preseason opener at the Chicago Bears on Aug. 15. Cornerback Cre’Von LeBlanc was on a bike.
Newly acquired offensive lineman Greg Mancz was at Tuesday’s practice, his first with the Dolphins.