Mike McDaniel typically provides some comic relief during his press conferences, but the puzzled, raised-hands response the Miami Dolphins head coach provided when asked about the health of his team's offensive line seemed more like a man trying to joke away his pain.
"Bro," was McDaniel's immediate response. "They are earning stripes and medals with every single one of their teammates. ... The whole group has really battled things throughout the whole season."
For the second straight week, the Dolphins begin preparation for an opponent with backups and scout team players all along the first-team line. However, the hope is that some of the starters will be able to soldier through Sunday's home game against the Dallas Cowboys and play through their injuries.
Are starters resting, or really injured?
Left tackle Terron Armstead (knee and ankle), right guard Robert Hunt (hamstring), swing tackle Kendall Lamm (back) and right tackle Austin Jackson (oblique), who all have started seven or more games this season, each sat out Wednesday's practice.
Whether their absence was precautionary, veteran rest, or they couldn't work because of their injuries, hasn't been clarified. But Hunt hasn't practiced since re-aggravating his left leg injury on Dec. 3, and might not work at all this week.
Jackson has an oblique injury that continues to get worse, and Miami's medical staff might encourage the coaches to shut him down to prevent the injury from worsening before the postseason.
Armstead and Lamm have been held out of multiple Wednesday practices this season, given veteran rest days, and that could be the case for each of these established veterans.
Liam Eichenberg, who inherited the starting center spot because of the season-ending knee injury Connor Williams suffered two weeks ago, was limited during the portion of Wednesday's practice the media attended because of the calf injury he played through last week.
"He was telling everyone he was going, and not even leading on that he was dealing with anything," McDaniel said about Eichenberg, who played against the Jets despite having his foot in a walking boot most of last week.
McDaniel gave Eichenberg, a third-year veteran who has started eight games this season at center, left guard and right guard, the first game ball from the Jets win because what he went through to play.
Who are the possible replacements?
All the absences left Miami an offensive line for Wednesday's practice that featured Kion Smith and rookie Ryan Hayes at tackle, Robert Jones, Lester Cotton, Chasen Hines at guard, and Jonathan Harrison and Matt Skura, two veteran who got signed last week, working at center.
Thursday's practice will likely indicate how many of those backups, and journeymen the Dolphins will have to lean on for Sunday's home game against the Cowboys, which possesses the sixth ranked defense in the NFL.
As previously stated, Armstead and Lamm will likely practice on a limited basis, and the hope is that Jackson and Eichenberg will be healthy enough to participate, and possible serve as starters for an offensive line that has already used 10 different combinations of starters this season.
"Their efforts have not gone unnoticed," McDaniel said about the Dolphins' 2023 offesive line, which has been ranked one of the NFL's most productive units this season. "I think they are building onto the already established equity they have built with their teammates this year."
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