Dolphins’ McDaniel updates Fuller status, the Jeff Wilson and Mostert decisions, more

Dolphins cornerback Kendall Fuller is unlikely to play on Sunday in Cleveland because of a knee injury sustained in the 49ers game, coach Mike McDaniel said Tuesday.

McDaniel listed Fuller as “week to week,” leaving his status in question for the Week 18 regular-season finale at the Jets.

McDaniel has downplayed the severity of the injury, saying it’s nothing as serious as a torn ACL.

Without Fuller, Kader Kohou likely will play more snaps in base defense opposite Jalen Ramsey.

Undrafted rookie Storm Duck recently has been the Dolphins’ third corner when Fuller has been unavailable. Fuller missed four games earlier this season because of two separate concussions.

Siran Neal and Ethan Bonner also are available at cornerback.

The big news Tuesday was the Dolphins’ decision not to activate Bradley Chubb this season. Here’s our story on that.

McDaniel addressed other issues:

▪ McDaniel finally used Jeff Wilson Jr. on a short-yardage situation Sunday, and he converted a 3rd and 2, gaining six yards on a run.

Asked if he was tempted to use Wilson in short yardage earlier this season, considering Miami’s struggles in that area, McDaniel suggested he was.

“With my history with Jeff [with the Dolphins and 49ers], there are certain types of concepts I know he has a really good feel for in short yardage situations,” McDaniel said. “We’ve done that in the past and done that this year based upon practice and what he did in the game previous. We had confidence to put him in those moments.”

One challenge in using any player in short yardage who hasn’t played a lot is concern about a player being “out of routine” from not playing much. “You have to be very compelled to put him in there,” McDaniel said. “Jeff is built for that. He executed it in a phenomenal fashion and gave us more reasons to incorporate him in different ways this week.”

Wilson had two carries for 12 yards against San Francisco and has 11 carries for 56 yards for the season (5.1 per carry).

Meanwhile, Raheem Mostert had his most carries since a Nov. 3 game and gained 31 carries on those eight attempts, including a 21-yard run.

Asked why he incorporated Mostert and Wilson more while not playing rookie Jaylen Wright, McDaniel cited multiple factors, including the fact that Mostert and Wilson played for the 49ers, which would even further raise a player’s motivation.

“You’re trying to stay connected with your locker room and the individuals and the way they were practicing and the natural competitive spirit that’s brought out by playing a team you know with a lot of guys that were former teammates of yours,” McDaniel said.

As for Wright, “Jaylen is ready to contribute. We have a lot of high caliber running backs on this team. For that game, we made the most sense with the ammunition we had. I wanted to give guys an opportunity to see what we did with it. Raheem played very well. Jeff did a phenomenal job when given the opportunity. De’Von [Achane] had one of his best games since he’s been there.”

Achane had 110 yards rushing (on 17 carries, a 7.1 average) and 70 receiving yards (on six catches) against the 49ers.

McDaniel addressed other issues:

▪ McDaniel liked how the Liam Eichenberg/Isaiah Wynn right guard platoon worked out:

“I was very proud, happy with Isaiah. He and Liam did a phenomenal job in the rotation. The rotation served the offense.”

▪ Asked if the Dolphins expected this level of contribution from rookie Chop Robinson (who has six sacks), McDaniel said “Chris [Grier] had a ton of conviction. I felt the same. You don’t know what the first year is going to look like. We felt very confident he would be the type of player who would be an impact player.

“Rookie years are always unique because it’s unchartered territory playing football this long for these guys. You talk about the anti-rookie wall. He started impacting the game the more and more he learned, which speaks to his daily diligence and love for football. He has matched or exceeded the expectations.”

Robinson has six sacks over the past eight games.

▪ The Dolphins released rookie tight end Hayden Rucci from the practice squad and filled his spot with defensive tackle Neil Farrell, who was recently released from the 53-man roster.

Here’s a lot more on Robinson, a Jordyn Brooks update and more in my Tuesday morning six-pack.