Next setback for the Miami Dolphins in the NFL: On Tuesday night, the team from Florida not only lost at home against the Tennessee Titans, but also lost center Connor Williams.
Williams suffered a torn ACL early in the game against Tennessee and therefore did not return. Guard Liam Eichenberg took over for him after he had problems with quarterback Tua Tagovailoa and a snap in his first series. As a result, the Dolphins lost a fumble at the Titans’ 2-yard line.
Overall, the Dolphins were without four of the actual five starters on the offensive line. Only right tackle Austin Jackson was left. In general, the team’s O-line has been plagued by injuries throughout the year. The team has now lost a total of 21 games from their starters Terron Armstead, Isaiah Wynn, Robert Hunt and Williams.
Head coach Mike McDaniel acknowledged that this is problematic: “At some point it becomes a challenge for everyone when you start talking about double-digit numbers of missed games,” but he also acknowledged that the backups get better with more playing time “Along the way, people are becoming more and more prepared to step in and get better at those positions.”
Dolphins will probably continue to rely on Eichenberg
McDaniel didn’t want to rule out a new signing at center, but also indicated that they would now play with Eichenberg for the rest of the season: “For me, Liam had a really cool season because he played one position – whether it was right guard, Left guard or center – and played well enough for us to win. And then he comes back the following week and plays even better. We’ll continue to count on that momentum.”
Meanwhile, the Dolphins have signed edge rusher Melvin Ingram for the practice squad, who was already active for Miami last year. He comes as another alternative for the injured Jaelen Phillips, who tore his Achilles tendon on Black Friday.