TAMPA — The Miami Dolphins‘ preseason is now behind us, and the countdown to Week 1 begins in earnest.
As for who exactly the Dolphins will have available for their season opener against the Jacksonville Jaguars, there remain some big-time question marks.
Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel provided an injury update here late Friday on five projected starters who are all dealing with injuries of various severity: Wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr., center Aaron Brewer, defensive tackle Benito Jones, safety Jevon Holland, and cornerback Jalen Ramsey.
Will Miami Dolphins’ Odell Beckham Jr. Play in Week 1?
Beckham has not been able to practice once in the 3+ months since signing with the Dolphins. The organization must decide by Tuesday whether to activate him off the physically unable to perform (PUP) list or hold him out of the first four games of the season.
Asked if he was hopeful that Beckham will practice before the season starts, McDaniel replied:
“Yeah. I’m hopeful about a lot of things. I’m not nervous about it but you hope. … You have to listen to people’s bodies and be very communicative. I know he’s feeling very optimistic about how things are developing, but you just take one day at a time, and like I said before, I’m not in a position of nervousness because of the way that he’s been involved.
“He’s found a way to be a leader of sorts without playing, that’s tough to do, but his mindset’s right. And so I feel good about that.”
The outlook is far clearer for Holland and Ramsey, who are both likely to play in Week 1 after missing recent practices.
“[Holland] had a really good workout today that he was excited about,” McDaniel said. “I would say it would be about day-to-day right now.”
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McDaniel said he has “no concerns” about Ramsey’s Week 1 availability.
The same can’t be said about Brewer, who has missed more than two weeks with a hand injury. The Dolphins were concerned enough about his availability for the opener that they kept Liam Eichenberg out of Friday night’s game.
“Nothing’s really changed with that. I feel pretty good about it, but [nothing] concrete,” McDaniel said.
What’s more, Jones and Brandon Pili — the Dolphins’ top two nose tackles — both could be back by Week 1. Jones has missed multiple weeks with an undisclosed injury; Pili got dinged up Friday but the original prognosis was positive.
Finally, the Dolphins don’t have a high level of concern about wide receiver Erik Ezukanma or safety Patrick McMorris, who were both spotted in walking boots Friday after getting hurt in Wednesday’s practice.
“What I do know is that it’s not longer than week to week. But it could be more expeditious.”