South Florida Sun-Sentinel (Sunday)
Special teams won’t have Aikens, Sherels
The Miami Dolphins, looking to win their fourth game of the season, will be without two key special teams players for Sunday’s game against the New York Giants.
Special teams standout Walt Aikens did not travel with the team, while kickoff and punt returner Marcus Sherels was waived Saturday.
The Dolphins said Aikens’ absence, which will be his first during Miami’s 3-10 season, is not related to an injury.
Still, Miami loses a team captain and valuable contributor on special teams for a game when it will trot out a new return specialist on kickoffs and punts.
The Dolphins could likely turn to new receiver Trevor Davis — who was awarded to Miami off waivers Dec. 3 and has four years of return experience with the Green Bay Packers and Oakland Raiders — to handle return duties against the Giants as well as the final two games of the season.
Davis has returned more than 50 kickoff and punt returns apiece during his career, averaging 22.3 yards per kickoff return and 10.6 yards per punt return.
Miami could also use players such as receiver Isaiah Ford, running back Myles Gaskin, new receiver Mack Hollins to help with kickoff and punt return duties.
The Dolphins cut Sherels to move undrafted rookie safety Montre Hartage back on the roster in order to provide depth in the secondary, which lost two more members (cornerbacks Ryan Lewis and Ken Webster) to injured reserve this season.
Hartage could play in his second game of the season. He played against the Philadelphia Eagles two weeks ago and then was released, but he rejoined the Dolphins practice squad.
New cornerback Tre Hayes, who was added to the team this past week, also did not travel for Sunday’s game.