MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Miami Dolphins center Connor Williams will miss the remainder of the season with a torn anterior cruciate ligament, coach Mike McDaniel said Tuesday, a critical blow for a team still in contention for the top seed in the conference.
Williams suffered a knee injury on the Dolphins’ first offensive series in their 28-27 loss Monday night to the Tennessee Titans and did not return, leaving the Dolphins without four of their five starters on the offensive line.
His absence was felt immediately. On the same offensive series, quarterback Tua Tagovailoa mishandled a snap by backup center Liam Eichenberg to give the Giants the ball at Tennessee’s 2-yard line.
Tennessee also pressured Tagovailoa on 40% of his dropbacks Monday night, resulting in him being sacked five times.
McDaniel said the Dolphins will consider signing a veteran free agent for depth purposes, but ultimately the team feels confident in its options behind Williams.
“You can’t necessarily replace him directly,” McDaniel said. “I’d like to take the time right now to talk about the esteem this team has for Connor Williams and what he’s been doing this year, playing excellent ball. … You don’t necessarily replace that directly. However, you also prepare a lot for contingencies for those types of scenarios “
The Dolphins have lost a total of 21 games due to injuries to four starters on the offensive line, including Terron Armstead, Isaiah Wynn, Robert Hunt and Williams.
As a result, reserve linemen like Robert Jones, Lester Cotton and Eichenberg have played significant snaps this season.
“At some point, it gets a little difficult for everyone when you start talking about double digits [games missed]“But along the way, players become more equipped to do that, and players start to play better in those positions,” McDaniel said.
Eichenberg is expected to fill the starting position in Miami, with Cotton as his replacement.
The 2021 second-round pick has played 554 offensive snaps across multiple positions this season, and McDaniel said the Dolphins will build on the upward trajectory he has shown.
“Liam has had a really great season for me, because he has played in a position – whether it is right, left or midfield – and he has played well enough for us to win,” he said. “Then he comes back the next week and plays better. We’ll build on that momentum.”
Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill was limited to just 46% of the team’s offensive snaps in Monday’s loss after suffering an ankle injury in the first quarter. McDaniel called the NFL’s leading receiver “day-to-day” working through the injury.
McDaniel also said Armstead has a better chance of playing on Sunday against the New York Jets than Hunt. Both players suffered injuries during Miami’s win over the Washington Commanders in Week 13.
Finally, safety DeShon Elliott was placed in the concussion protocol after reporting symptoms. He left Monday’s game briefly due to head and rib injuries but returned before eventually leaving the game for good in the fourth quarter.
Meanwhile, the Dolphins are signing linebacker Melvin Ingram to their practice squad, a source told ESPN on Tuesday. This move comes two weeks after the team lost player Jaylan Phillips for the season due to a ruptured Achilles tendon.
Ingram played in 17 games for Miami last season, recording six sacks, seven tackles for loss and 10 quarterback hits. The former first-round pick made three Pro Bowls for the Los Angeles Chargers from 2017-19.
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