Hunt out against Chiefs
Armstead listed questionable after good practice week
FRANKFURT, Germany — Miami Dolphins right guard Robert Hunt has been ruled out for Sunday’s game against the Kansas City Chiefs in Germany.
Hunt had been considered day-to-day throughout the week after su ering a hamstring injury in last Sunday’s win over the New England Patriots, but he had already missed the first two practices in Frankfurt’s PSD Bank Arena before coach Mike McDaniel announced he’d be inactive Sunday ahead of Friday drills.
McDaniel said backup Robert Jones is in line to start on the o ensive line. He will enter at left guard as Lester Cotton, who has been playing that position for injured Isaiah Wynn, shifts to Hunt’s right guard post.
“We’re going to do one-for-one, Rob for Rob,” McDaniel said.
Added right tackle Austin Jackson: “We’re going to miss big Bobby in there. But we have confidence in our other guards.”
Good news on the Miami o ensive line comes in updates regarding left tackle Terron Armstead and center Connor Williams, although both are questionable for Sunday’s game.
Armstead was designated to return Wednesday for his first week of practice since a knee injury Oct. 1 in Bu alo landed him on injured reserve. McDaniel said Armstead has had a good practice week, o cially listed as limited on Wednesday and Thursday injury reports, but the coach wants to see how Friday goes for him before making any decision on whether to activate him Saturday, ahead of Sunday’s international showdown with the defending Super Bowl champs.
“So far, so good,” McDaniel said of Armstead ahead of the day’s drills. “We still have a day to assess. We don’t need to get ahead of ourselves, but it’s been very encouraging.
“I feel optimistic, but have to see how (Friday) plays out to make sure that there’s no setbacks. We feel very good about all the o ensive linemen we play. There’s a long season, so there’s no reason for him to be pressing through something that might hurt him in the long run.”
Jackson said Armstead looked “damn near midseason form” this week.
Williams had “an outstanding week of practice” with no setbacks, according to McDaniel, and he sounded optimistic about the center’s chances to start against the Chiefs after missing four of the last five games.
Williams, after Friday’s practice, while expressing he feels healthy, noted the decision is not in his hands.
“I always say I’m ready,” Williams said. “I think, in another day, it’s going to be up to (coaches), but it’s been a good week. I feel healthy, and so we’ll see how it goes.”
Other encouraging injury news comes in McDaniel’s update on wide receiver Braxton Berrios, who popped up on Thursday’s injury report with a hamstring ailment.
Berrios, who is questionable, “felt a little something,” according to the coach. “It wasn’t a full injury.”
The former University of Miami standout was back on the practice field Friday, as was cornerback Justin Bethel, who showed up on the injury report Thursday with a foot ailment. Bethel is also questionable.
Safety Brandon Jones never made the trip to Germany, McDaniel said, as he deals with concussion protocol in South Florida. He is out for the Chiefs game.
Other Dolphins that are questionable for Sunday: Cornerback Xavien Howard, tight end Durham Smythe, cornerback Nik Needham and wide receiver River Cracraft, who has been practicing the past two weeks as he seeks to return from a shoulder ailment.
Germany ties: The Dolphins have a surprising number of ties to Germany that have been revealed this week.
Offensive coordinator Frank Smith’s great grandmother was born in Frankfurt.
Running back Raheem Mostert’s mother was born in Germany, about an hour and a half away from Frankfurt, in Bad Hersfeld.
Outside linebacker Jaelan Phillips has been to Germany, visiting an aunt who was stationed there in the military.
Tight end Tyler Kroft’s mother is German. She immigrated to the United States at a young age and still has family in the Bodensee Lake region, which Kroft will be visiting Saturday.
Special teams coordinator Danny Crossman once played the first World League — later NFL Europe — game in Frankfurt for the London Monarchs against the Frankfurt Galaxy.
Long snapper Blake Ferguson’s mother was born in Heidelberg, as his grandfather was stationed there while serving in the U.S. Army, he posted on X.
That’s different: McDaniel was asked by a foreign reporter in Frankfurt for words to describe his team. The coach’s choice: “Deliberately joyful,” he started, before a pause and adding, “and maybe accountable and hungry.”