Besides quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, the Dolphins will likely be without at least three other starters for Monday’s game against visiting Tennessee (7:15 p.m., CBS-4/ESPN).
Left tackle Terron Armstead and cornerback Kendall Fuller remain in the concussion protocol and have been ruled out of Monday’s game. Linebacker David Long Jr. is questionable due to a hamstring injury.
Three players were listed as questionable: running back Raheem Mostert (chest), quarterback Skylar Thompson (ribs) and receiver Malik Washington (quadriceps).
Cornerbacks Siran Neal and Storm Duck, who were slowed by injuries earlier in the week, have no injury designations and will play Monday.
Anthony Walker Jr. will likely replace Long at inside linebacker.
Coach Mike McDaniel was not ready to name replacements for Armstead and Fuller. Rookie Patrick Paul and veteran Kendall Lamm are the options to replace Armstead at left tackle. No one would be surprised if Paul started.
At cornerback, Duck and nickel cornerback Kader Kohou are vying for more playing time in Fuller’s absence, and Ethan Bonner appears to be active for the first time this season.
The Dolphins could elevate one of two cornerbacks from their practice squad: Nik Needham or Isaiah Johnson.
Mostert, who has been sidelined with a chest injury since the second half of the opener, is “trying” to be ready for Monday, McDaniel said. But “we’re not going to expose ourselves prematurely if we step back and don’t protect ourselves.” He wants [play] in the worst way. »
Mostert said Friday it was a toss-up if he played Monday.
Meanwhile, Tennessee listed two-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons as doubtful for Monday’s game because of an elbow injury. And standout cornerback L’Jarius Sneed is questionable with a hamstring injury.
THOMPSON’S THOUGHTS
In his first public comments since his debut last Sunday, Thompson said he was still dealing with a rib and chest injury suffered in that game in Seattle.
“It’s been quite painful,” he said Saturday. “I’m trying to get through it. There’s not much you can do about it. That’s what’s hard. I do everything I can to promote the process and heal. It’s been really uncomfortable, that’s for sure.
What simple tasks in life have been uncomfortable? “Breathing, sneezing, laughing, even hiccups, all those little things. It’s sort of [stinks].”
Asked if he was healthy enough to be the team’s third emergency quarterback Monday behind starter Tyler Huntley and backup Tim Boyle, Thompson said, “I don’t know yet this information. It’s still a decision to make, that’s for sure.
Before leaving the Seahawks game with an injury (which he said was not a fracture), Thompson completed 13 of 19 passes for 107 yards, with no touchdowns or interceptions, and was sacked five times, most of them were also the result of ball possession. long.
Thompson was the team’s quarterback for seven full possessions. Miami’s only points on those seven possessions came on a field goal after a Kohou interception gave the Dolphins the ball at the Seattle 6-yard line. Miami mustered just two yards on three plays before Jason Sanders’ field goal.
When asked to rate his performance in the match, Thompson said: “I really wasn’t happy. It was a difficult game. Where I am as a quarterback is my responsibility and we struggled to move the ball all day and we were out of sync. It falls on my knees and shoulders.
“It was a good environment. Super strong. And [that] plays [an] effect in certain respects. You have to overcome these challenges and overcome them and I will. It’s not going to be something that’s going to knock me down. It was still a great learning experience and another step in my journey, good or bad. This will make me better in the long run.
Was it difficult to hear calls through his headset? “At the start of the game they were loud and that definitely made communication difficult.”
Thompson said he hopes to do it again before Tagovailoa returns from a concussion: “Yeah, absolutely…I’m going to stay confident, continue to believe in myself and focus on the things I can control.”
