Pouncey out for rest of season

Team signs journeyman QB Yates as insurance

The Miami Dolphins made two significant roster moves Tuesday, signing veteran quarterback T.J. Yates to be Matt Moore’s backup, and placing Pro Bowl center Mike Pouncey on the season-ending injured reserve list.

The Dolphins have a short week to prepare for their game Saturday night at the New York Jets, so the learning curve for Yates must be steep.

The NFL also announced that the Dolphins will play the New Orleans Saints in London next season at Wembley Stadium on either Sept. 24 or Oct. 1. The date will be finalized in the spring, when the NFL announces its 2017 schedule.

The Dolphins-Saints game had been widely reported, but the venue (games will also be played at Twickenham Stadium this season) and date hadn’t been announced.

The Pouncey news hardly comes as a surprise.

Pouncey, a three-time Pro Bowl selection who signed a five-year, $50 million contract extension in April 2015, played only five games this season. He worked with team trainers and saw a specialist on a weekly basis, but league sources said it was determined that playing him at this point could risk his long-term health.

Anthony Steen will continue to start in Pouncey’s absence.

Pouncey has had three hip surgeries since 2014, and a fracture he suffered in the preseason forced him to miss the first four

For his career, Yates is 132 of 227 (58.1 percent) for 1,534 yards, six touchdowns and eight interceptions. He has a career passer rating of 72.8.

games of this season. He reaggravated the injury during practice for the Nov. 20 game at the Los Angeles Rams.

At this point it’s not known whether Pouncey will need offseason surgery.

Pouncey joins the list of key Dolphins players on injured reserve, a list that includes strong Safety Reshad Jones (shoulder), tight end Jordan Cameron (concussion) and linebacker Koa Misi (neck).

Yates’ signing means rookie quarterback Brandon Doughty is unlikely to be promoted to the 53-man roster from the practice squad. Doughty, the seventh-round pick from Western Kentucky and North Broward Prep, has never played in an NFL regular-season game.

Yates, a five-year veteran who hasn’t played since suffering a torn anterior cruciate ligament in December 2015, made two starts and four appearances for the Houston Texans in 2015. He ended 28-of-57 passing for 370 yards, three touchdowns and one interception. He had a passer rating of 80.3.

Yates, Houston’s 2011 fifth-round pick from North Carolina, burst onto the NFL scene late in his rookie season when he replaced injured Texans starter Matt Leinart. He eventually led the Texans to their first playoff victory with a 30-13 wild-card win over the Cincinnati Bengals in January 2012. The Texans lost to the Baltimore Ravens in the divisional round.

Yates served as Matt Schaub’s backup in Houston the next two seasons, then was traded to the Atlanta Falcons in June 2014 and served as Matt Ryan’s backup.

Yates was released by Atlanta in September 2015 in their final round of roster cuts and later signed with Houston.

For his five-year career, Yates is 132 of 227 (58.1 percent) for 1,534 yards, six touchdowns and eight interceptions. He has a career passer rating of 72.8.

Moore is the starter because Ryan Tannehill suffered a sprained the ACL and medial collateral ligament in his left knee Sunday in a 26-23 victory over the Arizona Cardinals.

As for the Dolphins-Saints game, Miami is losing a home game next season. The Dolphins are playing in London for the third time in four years because of a resolution at the October 2014 owners meetings that stated teams that get awarded a Super Bowl must host an international game within five years of being awarded the game. The Dolphins are hosting Super Bowl LIV (54) in February 2020.

Pouncey