Miami Dolphins Injury Update: Latest on Jaylen Waddle, Terron Armstead, and Jaelan Phillips

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — The Miami Dolphins enter Broncos Week with some significant injury unknowns. But on balance, those unknowns could potentially be much worse.

Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel on Monday provided injury updates for wide receiver Jaylen Waddle (concussion), running back Salvon Ahmed (groin), tackle Terron Armstead (back/ankle/knee), and linebacker Jaelan Phillips.

And while unlikely, there seems to be a chance that all four could be available for Sunday’s game against Denver — although, given the team’s cautious philosophy when it comes to injuries, that chance is probably slim.

Mike McDaniel Provides Miami Dolphins Injury Update

First, the players hurt Sunday:

Waddle is in the concussion protocol after taking an illegal blow to the back of the head from linebacker Marte Mapu late in regulation. But Waddle was alert and in good spirits post-game Sunday, and McDaniel told reporters that the third-year receiver “has already started progressing in that process today.”

Ahmed, meanwhile, suffered a groin injury that won’t end his season but also might cause him to miss some time.

Mike McDaniel provides an update on Salvon Ahmed, Jaylen Waddle. pic.twitter.com/3dgy2JAgsX

— Adam Beasley (@AdamHBeasley) September 18, 2023

“I don’t know the timetable with S A.,” McDaniel said. “It’s not torn. So it’s not, you know, an overly long situation, but those are tricky. So we’ll know more as the week progresses with that.”

When Ahmed left the game, his snaps went to rookie De’Von Achane.

As for Armstead and Phillips, both wanted to play, but the Dolphins decided to play the long game and keep them out.

Phillips, who suffered a back injury at some point last week, “was pretty frustrated that he wasn’t allowed to play from a medical perspective,” McDaniel said. “We thought it wasn’t worth the risk. But he was, (in) his mind was ready to contribute.”

“So he was disappointed but understanding,” McDaniel added. “And it was just the long-term vision, it felt like he may be at risk for a bigger issue if he would have played. You know, sometimes we have to be the adults, but he was ready if asked, but we felt like it was better for the team to make sure he was fully prepared in the future and not risk that with short-sightedness.”

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As for Armstead, who is now more than a month removed from an ankle injury that kept him out of the first two games, McDaniel said:

“Terron and Jaelan Phillips were very similar in that way,” McDaniel said. “They both felt that they had played games under the circumstances. However, we just really want to do everything possible to avoid anything we can, as far as setbacks go, with those players.

“They are a big part of our team,” he added. “So, fortunately, like I’ve been saying, we have depth and people that train in a multitude of ways so that you cannot risk the long vision of the team for a short-sighted decision. So they’re both very similar.”

And they might have similar timeframes to return. When asked Monday if the optimism is high for both to return in Week 3, McDaniel replied:

“I don’t wanna get ahead of myself but, you know, you would assume that — that’s trending in the right direction. The fact that they both felt capable. Well, we’ll see how it progresses throughout the week.

“You’re careful not to put in the head of the player that, ‘Hey, all right, this is when you’re going to play.’ It’s more, ‘Let’s continue to detail and pay a full mind and attention to the injuries so that we’ll let the body tell us when we’re gonna play.’ So, we feel good about where they’re at, and optimistic, but we’ll see how the week progresses.”