Dolphins’ Connor Williams out for season. And Holland news and Dolphins notes by position
Dolphins center Connor Williams sustained a torn ACL in his left knee on Monday against Tennessee and will miss the remainder of the season, coach Mike McDaniel disclosed Tuesday.
Williams, who will be a free agent in March, sustained the injury after just six offensive snaps against the Titans.
It’s a devastating loss to Miami’s offense; Williams is an instrumental part of the running game and had allowed only one sack and six quarterback pressures all season, covering 280 pass blocking snaps. Pro Football Focus rates him the NFL’s best center this season.
“He’s a hell of a player; he’s very important to our offense,” right tackle Austin Jackson said.
Liam Eichenberg, who moved from right guard to center after Williams’ injury, allowed two pressures, had a bad snap that factored into a turnover and committed three penalties.
PFF rated Eichenberg Miami’s second-worst player on offense against Tennessee, ahead of only tight end Julian Hill.
Eichenberg likely will start at center in Williams’ absence but is dealing with “bumps and bruises,” McDaniel said. Miami has two offensive linemen on the practice squad who have college experience at center - Chasen Hines and rookie Alama Uluave.
“You might see us add somebody here in the near future” at center, McDaniel said.
Among veterans available in free agency: former Pro Bowl centers Ben Jones and Rodney Hudson, who are both 34.
On the 53-man roster, there’s no experienced center beyond Eichenberg, who never played center in an NFL game before this season. Guard Lester Cotton has taken practice snaps at center but hasn’t appeared at center in a regular-season game.
With Terron Armstead and Robert Hunt sidelined on Monday and Williams leaving the game early, Miami delivered one of its worst pass blocking games of the season against Tennessee, yielding five sacks.
Per PFF, guard Robert Jones permitted two sacks and four pressures, while guard Cotton yielded two pressures. Tackles Jackson and Kendall Lamm (who was filling in for Armstead) each allowed two pressures.
McDaniel said Armstead is “more conceivable” than Hunt to play against the Jets, calling Armstead “day to day” with his ankle and knee injuries.
Hunt, who is dealing with a hamstring injury, remains “week to week” and McDaniel said he would be “pleasantly surprised” if Hunt plays Sunday.
Meanwhile, the Dolphins are also short-handed at safety.
DeShon Elliott, initially cleared after leaving Monday’s game, reported concussion symptoms later in the game and is now in concussion protocol.
Safety Jevon Holland told WQAM-560 that he has been dealing with sprained MCLs in both knees, explaining why he hasn’t played the past two games. He said he’s optimistic about playing Sunday against the visiting Jets (1 p.m., CBS), but he also said he was optimistic before the previous two games and didn’t play.
NOTES BY POSITION
▪ Running back: On offense, Raheem Mostert played 46 snaps, De’Von Achane 33 and Jeff Wilson Jr. only one. Mostert averaged 4.6 per carry (21 for 96) with two touchdowns. Achane averaged 6.7 per carry (7 for 47).
Mostert’s 18 total touchdowns are tied with Mark Clayton for the single season franchise record. His 16 rushing touchdowns are tied with Ricky Williams for the single season franchise record.
Fullback Alec Ingold played 29 snaps.
▪ Wide receiver: Even with Tyreek Hill limited to 34 snaps because of his ankle injury, Chase Claypool did not play a single offensive snap for the second game in a row. Claypool — who had 873 and 860 receiving yards for Pittsburgh in his first two NFL seasons — has only one reception since being acquired from the Bears in October.
“Some of the opportunities Chase would have gotten were won during the week by Cedrick Wilson a little bit,” McDaniel said.
Jaylen Waddle played 59 of Miami’s 72 offensive snaps. Cedrick Wilson Jr. played 40, Braxton Berrios 33 and River Cracraft 14.
Pro Football Focus rated Wilson, Hill and Waddle as the Dolphins’ top three players on offense against Tennessee.
▪ Tight end: Durham Smythe played 56 snaps and Julian Hill allowed a sack in his 15 offensive snaps.
▪ Defensive line: Christian Wilkins and Zach Sieler played 62 and 61 of the Dolphins’ 71 defensive snaps, and Wilkins continued to extend his career high sack total to 7.5. Raekwon Davis played 20 snaps and Da’Shawn Hand eight.
Among 17 players who logged defensive snaps for Miami on Monday, PFF rated Davis second, Sieler fourth and Wilkins fifth. Bradley Chubb was first and Emmanuel Ogbah third.
▪ Outside linebackers: Chubb played 58 snaps, Andrew Van Ginkel 55, Ogbah 27, Jason Pierre-Paul 2 and Cameron Goode 1.
Chubb missed a third-down sack in the second quarter and then drew a 15-yard penalty when he threw his helmet near the sideline in frustration after the play.
The 15-yard penalty prolonged Tennessee’s 14-play, 86-yard drive that ended in a Titans touchdown.
Chubb said of the penalty: “Just being frustrated with myself, and I let my problems be bigger than the team’s problems and hurt the team in a way that I don’t want to do that.”
▪ Inside linebackers: With Jerome Baker sidelined by a knee injury, Duke Riley played all 71 snaps and David Long Jr. 63. Long had two tackles for loss against his former team.
▪ Safety: With Holland sidelined and Elliott missing 18 snaps in the second half (concussion symptoms and a rib injury), the Dolphins played backup safeties (Brandon Jones, Elijah Campbell) on Tennessee’s two late touchdown drives.
Jones played all 71 defensive snaps and Campbell 18.
Among the 17 players who logged defensive snaps for the Dolphins, PFF rated Jones sixth, Elliott 15th and Campbell 17th.
▪ Cornerback: Jalen Ramsey played all 71 defensive snaps, Xavien Howard 70, Kader Kohou 62 and Needham 8. Kohou permitted a TD pass; Ramsey yielded 75 passing yards and Howard 77, per PFF.
▪ Kicker: Jason Sanders had a 44-yard field goal blocked and is now 8 for 12 on field goals of 40 yards or more this season: 6 for 8 from 40 to 49 yards and 2 for 4 on field goal attempts of at least 50 yards.
