Dolphins player Cracraft out. McDaniel talks about injuries, backup QB. And running back signed

Dolphins receiver River Cracraft, who had developed into Miami's most reliable backup wide receiver, suffered an upper-body injury in Saturday night's preseason game against Washington and is expected to be out for an extended period.

Coach Mike McDaniel said Monday that Cracraft, who caught a touchdown pass shortly before his injury Saturday, “will certainly be out for some time. It doesn't look like it's the end of the season.”

Cracraft was one of the Dolphins' best players in training camp, and his absence with a shoulder injury hurts. With Odell Beckham Jr. on the physically unable to perform list for at least another week, Miami now finds itself in a precarious position behind Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle, who has been out for over a week with what McDaniel called a minor injury.

Until Beckham returns, Braxton Berrios, Erik Ezukanma and Malik Washington are considered favorites for the third through fifth positions. McDaniel said Ezukanma “really showed off his talent” and caught five balls for 65 yards against Washington.

The team could add another experienced receiver to the team. Braylon Sanders (who McDaniel said is “week to week” due to injury), Mike Harley Jr., Willie Snead IV, Kyric McGowan, Anthony Schwartz and JeQuan Burton are the team's other receivers under contract.

McDaniel said Beckham will not train this week, but added: “There has been progress every week. I'm not rushing the process. I'm not worried. I know both sides have the right intention. The intention is that once he's on the field, nothing will hold him back.”

If the Dolphins want to preserve Cracraft's chances of playing this season, he cannot be placed on the injured list immediately. Under new league rules, a move to the injured list would have to occur next week, coinciding with the roster being reduced from 90 to 53 players. Under the new rule, two players placed on the injured list during the roster reduction are allowed to play again this season as long as they miss at least four games.

In total, a team can bring back eight players who were placed on the injured list during the season, as long as they miss four games.

“If there's anyone who can handle adversity, it's River Cracraft,” McDaniel said. “He's worked his way up to being a very good player in this league and that confidence will continue. He's done some really good things in the game.”

McDaniel provided updates on several players who were injured Saturday.

Cornerback Cam Smith, who is dealing with a hamstring injury, is “week to week,” McDaniel said. “He's made the most of his opportunities. He's bought into things. He's given up plays that he's learned from and made plays. He's overcome some adversity. That's where he's grown.”

Running back Chris Brooks is in concussion protocol.

Safety Jordan Poyer, who missed two weeks with a thumb injury, will practice this week.

Linebacker David Long Jr., who suffered a hand injury on the first play of the game, is doing well.

McDaniel addressed other issues on Monday:

▪ His thoughts on the battle for backup quarterback Skylar Thompson/Mike White: “I know both of them. Both have won NFL games against good opponents in the regular season. Both have things about their game that I really like.”

McDaniel and his team decided that “we need to try to separate these guys because they're doing something different. How can we make an appropriate distinction between the two?” As a result, the Dolphins have given one quarterback playing time on the secondary team several days in a row instead of alternating it from day to day.

“I've put them in a lot of tough situations,” McDaniel said. “I'll continue to do that this week and in the next preseason game. They've both proven to be good backups over the past few years. My approach is to create extremely tough situations for both of them. I look for conviction after a bad play, how to get to the line of scrimmage and lead it.”

RUNNINGBACK SIGNED

With Brooks in concussion protocol and Jeff Wilson Jr. (nose) out, the Dolphins signed former Steelers running back Anthony McFarland, who had 42 carries for 146 yards (3.5 per carry) in 17 games in four seasons for the Pittsburgh Steelers from 2020-2023.

The 5'8″ and 195lb McFarland was selected by the Steelers in the fourth round out of Maryland in 2020.

A third Dolphins running back, Salvon Ahmed, is battling a foot injury. Rookie Jaylen Wright suffered a minor injury that kept him out of action against Washington.

The Dolphins were forced to use receiver Burton as a running back in the second half against Washington.

The Dolphins also signed former Colorado State linebacker Dequan Jackson, who played with the Jacksonville Jaguars earlier this year but hasn't appeared in an NFL game since producing 27 tackles for loss in five years at Colorado State. He was not drafted in 2022.