Dolphins could be forced to play without David Long

The Miami Dolphins could be forced to play Monday night’s game against the Tennessee Titans without the team’s leading tackler.

David Long Jr., who led the Dolphins in tackles last season, and leads the team with 21 stops this season, missed his second straight practice because of a hamstring injury he suffered in Miami’s 24-3 loss to the Seattle Seahawks..

It’s possible that Long, who has also been nursing a knee injury he had surgically repaired this offseason, could practice on Saturday, the Dolphins’ last day to prepare. If that’s the case then there’s a possibility that sixth-year veteran might play against the Titans, his former team, and not miss his first game game as a Dolphins player.

If he’s shelved expect the Dolphins to turn to Anthony Walker Jr. or Duke Riley to replace him as the inside linebacker paired with Jordyn Brooks.

Walker, who has tallied three tackles this season, has started 75 NFL games in his eight seasons in the NFL.

Riley, who has primarily been used as a special teams core player during his Dolphins tenure, has started 34 games in his career, and 10 of them have been for the Dolphins.

Kendall Fuller does conditioning work

Fuller, the Dolphins’ starting boundary cornerback, worked with a trainer on the side while the Dolphins practiced on Friday.

That’s a major indicator that he’s close to being cleared to practice because conditioning work is the second step in the NFL’s concussion protocol.

The next step is for Fuller to participate in practice, and if he doesn’t experience any lingering effects of the concussion he suffered against the Seahawks, he could be cleared to play in Monday night’s game against the Titans.

If Fuller isn’t cleared it’s highly likely that Miami would use Ethan Bonner as his replacement.

Bonner, who hasn’t participated in any of Miami’s first three games, is the next man up on a week fellow cornerbacks Siran Neal is nursing a hamstring injury, and Storm Duck is nursing a sore shoulder.

Both Neal and Duck are expected to play, but might have their roles limited because of their ailments. It’s also possible the Dolphins could call up Nik Needham and Isaiah Johnson from the practice squad.

Terron Armstead is also in the NFL’s concussion protocol because of an injury he suffered on Sunday, but his status is uncertain. If Armstead’s held out of Monday night’s game they’ll likely have rookie Patrick Paul, the team’s 2024 second-round pick, or Kendall Lamm replace him.

Could edge rushers be close to returning?

Bradley Chubb, who tore his ACL last December, and Cameron Goode, who suffered a patella tendon injury, were each doing a rehab assignment before Friday’s practice, which could be an indicator that they are close to returning to the field.

Chubb and Goode each began the 2024 on the Physically Unable to Perform list, and that makes them eligible to begin practicing next week. However, that’s at the team’s discretion.

Players placed on the PUP have a 21 day window to practice with the team before the franchise either activates them, or places them on injured reserve for the year. But that clock doesn’t have to start until the team open up that eligibility window.

Receivers Odell Beckham Jr. (knee), and River Cracraft (on IR with a shoulder), offensive guard Isaiah Wynn (quadriceps), and cornerback Cam Smith (on IR with hamstring injury) are all eligible to activated from the PUP and IR. Players on injured reserve do not get a three week window to begin practicing before being activated.

Rest day for Hill

Tyreek Hill was given a rest day on Friday, which is odd because it would have been his second day of working with the team’s new starting quarterback, which is likely Tyler “Snoop” Huntley.

Skylar Thompson worked on Friday, but struggled to throw a football 10-yards in the portion of practice the media witnessed, and also labored to run because of the broken ribs he suffered last week.

Expect Tim Boyle to serve as Huntley’s backup, and Thompson to be named the emergency quarterback.