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Dolphins’ Jaylen Waddle still in concussion protocol; Xavien Howard not seen at practice

david furones, south florida sun-sentinel
·4 min read
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MIAMI GARDENS — Miami Dolphins wide receiver Jaylen Waddle remains in concussion protocol Wednesday and did not practice.

Waddle was seen at Wednesday’s practice stretching, but he did not have his helmet and wasn’t participating in drills.

Not at Dolphins practice Wednesday was Pro Bowl cornerback Xavien Howard. Howard is not known to be dealing with an injury, and his absence was not addressed by coach Mike McDaniel in his press conference ahead of the day’s session.

McDaniel said, more than getting Waddle back on the practice field, his priority with him is just to make sure he’s better coming off the hit to the head he took in last Sunday’s 24-17 win over the New England Patriots.

“I’m not really worried about the timeline,” McDaniel said. “I’m more worried about him getting right. Not really sure when that is, nor have I tried to dig that up.”

Waddle went down late in the game at Gillette Stadium after taking helmet-to-helmet contact from linebacker Marte Mapu that resulted in an unnecessary roughness penalty.

Waddle would be a key component to Miami’s matchup against Denver, since cornerback Patrick Surtain II can lock down one side of the field, meaning he will offer resistance against Tyreek Hill. Having that second elite receiver could be vital.

“I think I’m just going to go home,” McDaniel comically joked, responding to a question about game planning without Waddle.

“These great players afford you a ton of fortune to feature. … There’s plenty of players that can make plays on the team. I really don’t worry nearly as much as you’d think about what we don’t have. It’s like 100 percent what we do and how to problem solve for that.”

The standout third-year receiver isn’t the only key player who has health status to monitor for the Dolphins (2-0) entering this Sunday’s home opener against the Denver Broncos (0-2).

McDaniel said left tackle Terron Armstead is practicing Wednesday and then will see an uptick in work for Thursday’s padded practice.

“We’re full steam ahead. We’ll take it day by day,” McDaniel said of Armstead, adding he saw progression in the way he handled the day after a workout from him last week.”

Edge defender Jaelan Phillips is “progressing,” according to Miami’s coach.

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Both Armstead and Phillips missed the game against the Patriots after entering questionable. Armstead is working back from an ankle injury suffered Aug. 17 in a joint practice against the Houston Texans. He is also dealing with knee and back ailments. Phillips injured his back last Friday before he missed Miami’s game in Foxborough.

Running back Salvon Ahmed, who is spelling starter Raheem Mostert while Jeff Wilson Jr. is on injured reserve, won’t practice Wednesday due to his groin injury suffered against New England. McDaniel said he also doesn’t plan on having him practice Thursday.

An injury report will be released later Wednesday.

Meaningful matchup

McDaniel is a Colorado native, and he will get his first matchup as a head coach against the team he grew up rooting for, the Broncos.

“It was the team that I found my love for football with,” McDaniel said. “A couple of the biggest influences that I’ve had from the game of football — in terms of Mike Shanahan and, by extension, Kyle Shanahan and Gary Kubiak. It’s a great franchise.”

McDaniel was with his Broncos as an intern for his first NFL game as a coach in 2005. A Denver team that went 13-3 and eventually reached the AFC Championship Game lost to the Dolphins in the South Florida heat and humidity of that season’s opener.

“Well, that was pre-global warming when this happened,” McDaniel initially quipped. “I think there’s a challenge to adapt to every place you play, in terms of it’s outside of normal to a degree. But the good news is it’s the same for both teams. I think they’re used to it when people travel (to) Mile High, and I’m sure they’re going to be prepared for the humidity.

Bills’ Allen earns Player of the Week

After Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa won the AFC Offensive Player of the Week for his 466-yard, three-touchdown performance in the opener against the Los Angeles Chargers, Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen took the Week 2 award.

Allen threw for 274 yards, three touchdowns and a 124.5 passer rating in a bounce-back outing from his four-turnover effort in the opening-week loss to the New York Jets. It’s Allen’s 11th career Player of the Week.

The two AFC East quarterbacks meet in Week 4, Oct. 1 at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park, New York.

Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Alex Highsmith won the Defensive Player of the Week, which had Dolphins outside linebackers Bradley Chubb and Andrew Van Ginkel as contenders after their games in Foxborough. Tennessee Titans kicker Nick Folk won it on special teams. The NFC had Eagles running back D’Andre Swift, Cowboys linebacker Micah Parsons and Buccaneers punter Jake Camarda win weekly awards.

This story will be updated.