Dolphins’ Bonner out temporarily: What it means for cornerback room. And personnel notes

A six-pack of Dolphins notes on a Tuesday:

▪ Cornerback Ethan Bonner, one of the standouts of the first three weeks of training camp, has been sidelined with concussion symptoms, explaining his absence from practice this week. A source briefed on the situation said it’s not certain that he had a concussion, but the team is acting cautiously.

It’s questionable if he will be cleared to play in Saturday’s second preseason game against Washington at Hard Rock Stadium (7 p.m., CBS 4).

Bonner and Kader Kohou — two undrafted players — have emerged as front-runners for the top two cornerback jobs behind starters Jalen Ramsey and Kendall Fuller. Kohou has been the first-team nickel corner, while Bonner had made the case to be the team’s top boundary cornerback.

With Bonner sidelined, Cam Smith now will have a chance to try to wrest that job from Bonner. Smith had missed most of the past 2 ½ weeks with an injury but participated in Tuesday’s practice.

Veteran special teams player Siran Neal (who tipped a Tua Tagovailoa pass that Marcus Maye intercepted Tuesday) and rookie cornerbacks Isaiah Johnson, Jason Maitre and Storm Duck also are competing at corner.

Nik Needham is playing a lot of safety but is also listed as the second team nickel behind Kohou and obviously has a lot of experience playing nickel cornerback.

Receiver Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle have praised Bonner for his progress throughout camp.

In Friday’s game against Atlanta, Bonner allowed one of four targets in his coverage area to be caught, for 41 yards, per Pro Football Focus. But the Falcons receiver appeared to commit offensive pass interference on that 41-yard play.

▪ With Teaiar Tart cut on Tuesday, the sense here is that Brandon Pili, Isaiah Mack and Jonathan Harris will compete to back up nose tackle Benito Jones, who has been sidelined with an injury in recent days. Calais Campbell has the ability to move inside on certain packages.

Harris had a sack on Tuesday, and Pili limited a running play to no gain.

Neville Gallimore’s absence from practice on Monday (and part of practice on Tuesday) was excused for a personal reason. He’s competing with Da’Shawn Hand, Leonard Payne and Mack and Harris to back up Calais Campbell and Zach Sieler.

According to the Dolphins’ new depth chart released Tuesday, Pili is the top backup behind Jones, in the wake of Tart’s release. Harris and Hand are listed as the top backups behind Sieler and Campbell.

▪ Aaron Brewer’s hand injury, which could sideline him for several weeks, has forced Liam Eichenberg to move from right guard (where he had a good chance to win the starting job) back to center.

The Dolphins have said they would prefer if Eichenberg has a chance to stick at one position. And Eichenberg said recently that he’s convinced his best position long term is right guard.

So was it dispiriting to move back to center rather than remain at right guard?

“No, I don’t think so,” he said Tuesday. “There’s stuff at center that has helped me improve at guard. Moving back into center has helped me get my hands going quicker. When I do go back to guard, it will help me in the long run. I want to be out there and help this team win. If they need me to play center or guard, I’ll do it.”

Did offensive line coach Butch Barry tell him that he would remain in the mix at right guard? Not really.

“He said, ‘start snapping,’ Eichenberg said. “I said, ‘all right.’ So that’s how it is. I think he knows how I stand and I think this organization does too.”

He said moving from guard to center is “not a big jump. When you’re at guard, you’re not in the center of the offense, seeing things. But for the most part, it’s an easy transition.”

Eichenberg, who’s in the last year of his contract, was asked recently if starting is important to him.

“One hundred percent,” he said. “I want to be out there. I said to Butch, ‘I don’t care where or what I’m playing. I just want to be out there.’ Butch is great, one of the best things to ever happen to me and this room.”

▪ Rookie first-round pick Chop Robinson was very good Tuesday, delivering a sack, a run stop for a negligible gain and disrupting a Tua Tagovailoa roll out.

Where’s the biggest area of growth from Day 1 to now?

“He’s listening,” Dolphins edge rusher Emmanuel Ogbah said Tuesday. “He’s coachable, asking the right questions. I’m happy to see him get better every day. He’s always asking for advice. The sky is the limit.”

On the new depth chart, Jaelan Phillips and Ogbah are first-team outside linebackers, with Quinton Bell and Chop Robinson on the second team.

▪ Jason Sanders continued an excellent camp, going 6 for 6 on field goals on Tuesday, including kicks from 50 and 53 yards. He hit a 58-yarder in the Atlanta game, equaling the longest preseason field goal by a Dolphin this century.

▪ Salvon Ahmed, who sustained a season-ending foot injury last November, has had an eventful camp. He began training camp on PUP with an issue unrelated to the foot, but then appeared to injure his foot again.

He had been in a walking boot for more than a week before returning to practice on Tuesday, where he participated in 11-on- 11 drills.

Ahmed appears to be competing with Chris Brooks for the No. 5 running back job, if the Dolphins keep five.

Jeff Wilson Jr. has been out this week with what appears to be an injury to his nose.