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The Miami Dolphins are hoping to get healthy in time for their Week 1 regular season matchup with the Carolina Panthers. Running back De’Von Achane has been dealing with a calf injury, while offensive tackle Austin Jackson (lower leg) and wide receiver Tyreek Hill (oblique) are also banged up.
Achane is interesting because he should be okay for the start of the start of the season, but they want to be careful with his calf. Soft-tissue injuries can be tricky and setbacks can start the entire recovery process over from the beginning.
“All indications for us is that Achane will be ready Week 1 to go,” Dolphins general manager Chris Grier said Wednesday morning.
For the record, Achane didn’t practice today.
Austin Jackson is on pace for Week 1 as well
Back on August 3rd, Jackson suffered a lower leg injury after getting “stepped on” in practice.
“He got the injury playing football and got stepped on. It has nothing to do with anything but that,” McDaniel said. “And with Austin, the bottom line for me where he’s at … he knocked some rust off, he got back and, in my opinion, exceeded where he was playing before. So we’re fortunate that that timetable doesn’t seem to be into the regular season.”
On Wednesday, Jackson was back at practice for the first time, which is a great sign that he’ll be ready to go against the Panthers.
“I feel great. I’m glad to be back out there,” Jackson said. “I had a good feeling about it. I didn’t have any guarantees in my head about anything. I just wanted to see what the team had to say about what I needed to do, and I was just optimistic.”
Left tackle Patrick Paul emphasized how important it is to have Jackson in the lineup.
“He provides just that dog mentality,” Paul said. “He’s an excellent run blocker, excellent pass protector. He’s just a cornerstone of this team, and he does his thing.”
Tyreek Hill is still absent from practice
Not much has been made of Hill’s ongoing oblique injury. He didn’t practice again on Wednesday and you’d think there would be more of a nationwide fantasy football meltdown. Hill is 31-years old and dealt with a wrist injury last year that may or may not still be bothering him.
Still, it’s concerning that he still isn’t out there.
Back on August 8th, head coach Mike McDaniel indicated that his work could be limited because he was taking so many practice reps.
“It got worse because he was taking every rep that was on the books,” McDaniel said.
That might be true, but they still haven’t given much of an update lately. The real test will be next week when official Week 1 preparation begins. If he misses practice time next week, it will be time to raise an eyebrow.