Dolphins player River Cracraft out for a long time due to injury

MIAMI GARDENS (Sun Sentinel) — Miami Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel said Monday morning that River Cracraft suffered a serious upper body injury in Saturday night's preseason game against the Washington Commanders.

Cracraft appeared to injure his shoulder while catching a touchdown pass in the back corner of the end zone to cap the Dolphins' first offensive series under the leadership of quarterback Tua Tagovailoa on Saturday.

Shortly after the goal, he was seen walking into the locker room with his coaches.

“It's certainly going to be a while,” McDaniel said Monday before the team took a walk-through. “It doesn't look like it's the end of the season, but it's going to be a while.”

McDaniel pointed to the path Cracraft has taken to get to this point, which gives him confidence that it will be resilient.

“If I think there's anyone who can handle this injury, it's River Cracraft,” McDaniel said.

Cracraft returns with McDaniel to their time together in San Francisco before the two – and wide receiver coach Wes Welker – moved from the 49ers to the Dolphins.

Cracraft appeared to be taking on a more prominent role in the Dolphins' receiver corps after his training camp, which culminated in a touchdown on Saturday night, as Miami was without its top three wide receivers – Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle and Odell Beckham Jr.

The loss of Cracraft, coupled with injuries to Hill and Waddle, and the fact that Beckham is on the physically unable to perform list, raises significant questions about the team's wide receiver depth as the regular season begins on Sept. 8. McDaniel isn't too worried, however, as Hill and Waddle would be used in important games.

“There's been a little bit of emphasis on the depth of the room, but there are other caveats to that as well. Do we treat Jaylen Waddle the same way we would during the season? The answer is no,” McDaniel said. “We're also getting a very clear picture of some very tough battles when it comes to giving guys opportunities.”

Other injuries

Meanwhile, the Dolphins had good news regarding inside linebacker David Long Jr. after he was seen on the field at the start of Saturday's preseason game by trainers who apparently had his hand/wrist examined.

McDaniel said Long could return to the tryouts, but the team would not play the defender again.

The apparent hamstring injury that second-year cornerback Cam Smith suffered on a special teams play late in the game will now keep him out of action from week to week, according to McDaniel.

After Smith missed some time early in training camp and was just returning from injury to increase his training participation before the competition, McDaniel noted that the injury occurred in a “different location,” suggesting it was not an aggravation of the original injury.

McDaniel appreciated the way the 2023 second-round pick recovered throughout the game after allowing catches to standout wide receiver Terry McLaurin earlier in the game.

“He gave up plays that he learned from and then made plays,” McDaniel said. “There was some development there.”

Also on the weekly schedule is wide receiver Braylon Sanders after suffering a lower-body injury.

Running back Chris Brooks is in concussion protocol after falling to the ground on a play following his long 59-yard run in the second half on Saturday.

Dolphins safety Jordan Poyer was expected to return to practice this week, and McDaniel called him a warrior for returning early from his thumb injury.

While McDaniel said Beckham is making progress, he does not expect him to be removed from the PUP list and able to begin training anytime soon.

Squad changes

The Dolphins announced a number of roster changes on Monday, the most significant of which is likely the release of veteran running back Salvon Ahmed.

Ahmed's time in Miami is coming to an end after he was initially signed as an undrafted rookie in 2020 after being released by San Francisco.

Since then, Ahmed has continued to survive and work his way onto rosters in subsequent years, even as the coaching staff moved from Brian Flores to Mike McDaniel. He often stood out in training camps. Over the last four seasons, Ahmed amassed 163 carries for 593 yards and five touchdowns, while also gaining 274 yards receiving and another touchdown through the air.

Another veteran move came Monday when wide receiver Willie Snead IV was placed on the injured list with an undisclosed ailment. Snead was signed early in training camp because the team needed additional players at that position. Offensive lineman Sean Harlow was also placed on the injured list after leaving Saturday's preseason game early. The Dolphins released linebacker Ezekiel Vandenburgh with an injury settlement after he was also injured Saturday.

With four spots open on the roster, the Dolphins signed running backs Anthony McFarland Jr. and Zander Horvath, wide receiver Jadon Janke and linebacker Dequan Jackson.

McFarland played 17 games over four seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers from 2020-2023, where he rushed for 146 yards on 42 carries and caught 11 passes for 87 yards. Horvath has 15 games of NFL experience with two starts after spending the 2022 season with the Los Angeles Chargers, recording four carries for 8 yards.

Jackson, a graduate of Colorado State, spent the 2023 season on the Jacksonville Jaguars practice squad. Janke, who comes from South Dakota State, was previously with the Houston Texans in this training camp.