The status of Miami Dolphins starting center Michael Deiter appeared a bit cloudy last week when he was spotted wearing a walking boot when the team conducted a walk-through during its bye week.
There's probably reason not to be concerned about Deiter after the roster move the Dolphins reportedly will make Tuesday, waiving veteran Austin Reiter.
Reiter, who started at center for the Kansas City Chiefs in the last two Super Bowls, appeared in six games with five starts for the Dolphins after being signed off the New Orleans Saints practice squad.
The move with Reiter also would suggest that veteran Greg Mancz is ready to be activated off injured reserve. Mancz returned to practice the week of the Giants game and was designated for return; he started four games at center during Deiter's absence.
Deiter returned to the starting lineup against the New York Giants in Week 13 after missing nine games because of foot and quad injuries, which made the walking boot even more worrisome.
Reiter started the middle three games of the Dolphins' current five-game winning streak — against Baltimore, the New York Jets and Carolina — but he had a very difficult outing in his final start when he had two errant shotgun snaps, the second of which bounced before getting to quarterback Tua Tagovailoa and helped Carolina kick a field goal right before halftime when it was the Dolphins who were in scoring position before the play.
Along with Deiter and Mancz, the Dolphins also have center Cameron Tom on the practice squad after he had a brief stint on the active roster.
If Mancz indeed is activated off IR, the only remaining offensive lineman on the list — not counting rookie Larnel Coleman who was put on there in August and is done for the year — would
More must-reads: