PERSONNEL NEWS

Strategy And Personnel

The Sports Xchange

October 11, 2018 at 3:02 am.

PLAYER NOTES

–LT Laremy Tunsil (concussion) got hurt last week against the Bengals. It is doubtful he can return in time for the Bears game as he is in the NFL’s concussion protocol.

–DE Cam Wake, Miami’s best pass rusher, missed last week’s game due to a knee injury and has not yet returned to practice.

–CB Bobby McCain, a starter and key member of the secondary, has a knee injury and is likely out for two more weeks at least.

–WR/PR Jakeem Grant has a shoulder injury and was limited in Wednesday’s game. He has been a game-breaker this season, especially on kick returns. His absence would be a big blow to Miami.

–WR DeVante Parker has missed the past two games due to a knee injury. He was limited in practice on Wednesday and is questionable for the Bears game.

–DE Andre Branch missed last week’s game due to a knee injury. He was limited in practice on Wednesday and is questionable for the Bears game.

–TE A.J. Derby has missed the past two games due to a foot injury. He was limited in practice on Wednesday and is questionable for the Bears game.

PLAYER SPOTLIGHT: RB Kenyan Drake, 24, still has a lot to prove as this is his third year in the league. He averaged 5.4 yards as a rookie third-round pick out of Alabama in 2016, but he was almost an afterthought, gaining just 179 yards for the season. Last season, he became a starter for the final six weeks and averaged 4.8 yards while gaining 644 yards for the year. This year, there was a lot of hype surrounding the speedy Drake. But the Dolphins have lost three starters on the offensive line, and that has clearly hurt the ground attack. Sometimes, head coach Adam Gase doesn’t seem committed to the running game, but that is perhaps understandable when the results are not there. Drake has just 153 yards and a 3.9 average in five games this season. In his past three games, Drake has gained just 52 yards total. He needs a breakout game for 2018.

GAME PLAN: Miami’s Ryan Tannehill has to get the team back on track after starting the season 3-0 and then losing two in a row. Tannehill is not solely responsible for the two losses, but he needs to avoid the turnovers that crushed Miami last week against Cincinnati. And he and head coach Adam Gase have to do a better job of managing the game, making sure running backs Kenyan Drake and Frank Gore are involved, start to finish.
MATCHUPS TO WATCH

–Dolphins SS Reshad Jones, S Minkah Fitzpatrick and FS T.J. McDonald vs. Bears QB Mitchell Trubisky. Jones is rated as one of the top three strong safeties in the NFL. He’s a playmaker, always a threat to grab an interception, force a fumble or otherwise wreck an opposing offense. Fitzpatrick, Miami’s first-round pick, won two national titles at Alabama and is versatile enough to play safety or corner. McDonald is a hard-hitting hybrid who can play deep middle or be used in place of a linebacker in the box. Trubisky, coming off his six-touchdown performance, should get a much tougher test on Sunday, and his first job will be reading Miami’s safeties.

–Dolphins CBs Torry McTyer, Cordrea Tankersley and Cornell Armstrong vs. Bears WR Taylor Gabriel. Miami’s top cornerback, Xavien Howard, will likely try to shadow Chicago’s 6-3, 210-pound Allen Robinson. But since the Dolphins are without injured corner Bobby McCain, Gabriel could feast on any or all of these three young Dolphins cornerbacks. Gabriel’s 4.3 speed has been described as “devastating”, and that could be the effect on Miami if there are any mistakes in the secondary. McTyer, undrafted out of UNLV last year, will likely get the first shot at Gabriel. Tankersley, a third-round pick last year out of Clemson, started 11 games in 2017 but has since regressed. Armstrong, a rookie sixth-round pick out of Southern Mississippi, has yet to make much of a mark.

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