Dolphins injury/availability outlook for season opener

The Miami Dolphins' practices and preseason games this summer have been sorely lacking in star power, and the question now is what exactly the roster will look like when the regular season begins on September 8th.

Dolphins players who missed joint practice and the final preseason game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers due to various ailments included wide receivers Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle and Odell Beckham Jr., center Aaron Brewer, guard Isaiah Wynn, cornerback Jalen Ramsey, safety Jevon Holland and edge defender Bradley Chubb. And that's not even mentioning tackle Terron Armstead, who is participating in a stress management program to ensure he is ready for the start of the regular season, or edge defender Jaelan Phillips, who recently began training after being removed from the physically unable to perform list.

That's nine top starters plus the wide receiver who is expected to become the third option at that position (Beckham).

Beckham, Chubb and Wynn have spent all of training camp on the active roster/PUP squad and the Dolphins must decide on each of them by 4 p.m. ET Tuesday, when each team must reach the 53-player limit. The options are to place them on the active roster or move them to the reserve/PUP list, which would put them out of action for the first four games of the regular season.

Head coach Mike McDaniel gave updates on the availability of some players for the opening game against the Jacksonville Jaguars, but some injuries remained a mystery. The Dolphins are required to release an official injury report for the first time on Wednesday, September 4, detailing the nature of the injury and practice participation status.

Then we may get a little more clarity on who might be available for the Week 1 game. In the meantime, here are the outlooks for all of the injured players based on McDaniel's comments and what we've been able to observe.

WR Tyreek Hill – Based on McDaniel's commentary before Wednesday's joint practice with Tampa Bay, there's little reason to worry that he won't be ready. And while that should go without saying, it's important to understand that the evaluation with Hill and any other player is assuming no setbacks.

WR Jaylen Waddle – McDaniel said last week that Waddle would have played if we were in the regular season, so he should be in the lineup against Jacksonville.

C Aaron Brewer — That remains a mystery. McDaniel sounded optimistic about Brewer's availability after the game against Tampa Bay, although no details were given. “Nothing has really changed, I feel pretty good about it, but I don't know [anything] Concrete.”

WR Odell Beckham Jr. — This may be the most mysterious injury of all, because in the spring it seemed like the Dolphins were just being cautious, only he never practiced over the summer. And while McDaniel was optimistic that Beckham is ready, there were no concrete predictions either. “You hope, but you have to listen to people's bodies and be very communicative,” Beckham said. “I know he's very optimistic about the development, but you just have to take it day by day. Like I said, I'm not nervous about his involvement. He's found a way to be kind of a leader without playing. That's hard, but his mindset is right, so I feel good about it.”

WR Erik Ezukanma – After a standout preseason performance against Washington, Ezukanma was spotted wearing a walking boot during the final preseason game, but McDaniel provided an encouraging update when he said he does not have a long-term injury. His Week 1 appearance would likely still be uncertain.

G Isaiah Wynn – Given that he hasn't practiced since injuring his hamstring in Week 7 of last year, there's little reason to be optimistic about his readiness to start the regular season.

DT Benito Jones – Jones, who is ranked first among defensive linemen along with Zach Sieler and Calais Campbell, has been practicing for a few weeks now, but it looks like Jones is ready for Week 1. “It's hard to predict Week 1 for a lot of the guys, especially because there's been so much focus the last few days on all these huge opportunities for a lot of guys. Right now, I'm not nervous about that at all. I think I'll have to sit down and take a closer look at some of these guys, including Benito, too, because it's just so important to me to really commit and be there 100 percent for the guys that are completing our roster.”

DT Brandon Pili — Another big man in the middle of the defensive line. Pili suffered a potentially serious leg injury against Tampa Bay, but McDaniel sounded optimistic after the game. “When I talked to him on the field, he felt like it wasn't serious. He talked to me – he's not a doctor, we have to take pictures and stuff – but he seemed to think there's no reason to stress out a guy who just sustained an injury, so we'll get that checked out shortly here.”

OLB Bradley Chubb – There's no real news on Chubb other than that he's making good progress and there have been no setbacks. But it certainly doesn't look like he'll be on the roster in Week 1, and it seems entirely possible he'll start the season as a reserve/PUP.

LB Anthony Walker Jr. – It's been a while since we've seen Walker on the field (too bad because he looked so good in the offseason program), so it's difficult to make a judgment call on him even when it comes to the 53-man roster. His services probably can't be counted on for the Jacksonville game.

CB Jalen Ramsey — He falls into the Hill/Waddle category because he probably could have been on the field if it wasn't for training camp, so he should be good enough to compete against the team that drafted him fifth overall in 2016. “Jalen Ramsey was able to get some reps in this week, the practice before the joint practice. So I feel really good about it. We didn't use him in joint practice because I just know too much about my personnel after my injury. He's already a competitor. Luckily, he's already such a good teammate and such a good leader, you know, when he goes against our offense, he controls his competitiveness as much as he can. He himself knows that if a different colored jersey goes against him, he might get out of his comfort zone. So I got some reps with him, I feel pretty good about him and he's done a good job, so I'm not worried about him.”

S Jevon Holland – He will also likely be in the lineup, as McDaniel indicated he practiced well before Friday's game and he should be considered “day to day.”