Dolphins list four starters as questionable. And personnel notes

A six-pack of Dolphins notes on a Thursday:

▪ The Dolphins listed four starters as questionable and ruled out cornerback Xavien Howard for Saturday’s wild card playoff game at Kansas City (8 p.m., NBC 6, Peacock).

Receiver Jaylen Waddle, running back Raheem Mostert and safeties Jevon Holland and DeShon Elliott were listed as questionable.

Coach Mike McDaniel said he’s optimistic about the availability of Waddle, Mostert and Elliott. It’s more wait-and-see with Holland, who has been dealing with pain and mobility issues after sustaining sprained MCLs in both knees during the Nov. 24 game against the Jets.

But McDaniel also added that the status of Holland and Elliott for the Chiefs game will not be determined before Saturday.

Mostert and Waddle were limited participants in Thursday’s practice. Holland and Elliott did not practice.

Mostert said this week of his status: “Feeling good. Still a decision that needs to be made. December ball is different. January, February ball is completely different.

“I just try to take the approach of, ‘Hey, I’ve got to save myself for the playoffs.’ And that was the mentality that I had these past two weeks. Unfortunately, injuries happen. But all in all, that’s the mindset that I have.”

▪ Safety Elijah Campbell, who has played 122 defensive snaps this season, is prepared for a larger role (alongside Brandon Jones) if Holland and Elliott are out or limited.

“I’m pretty comfortable” in this defense, Campbell said Thursday. “Being able to get a full week of practice, it gives you a lot more confidence within the scheme. I definitely feel confident.”

Campbell, who has one start this season, is excited about the opportunity.

‘Any time you can represent yourself and represent my family and go make plays and try to help my career and help my future, I’m excited for those opportunities.”

The key for safeties in this defense?

“Everyone has got to communicate,” Campbell said. “Whether [Jones] makes the call at first and I echo it, or I make the call and he echos it, everyone has to talk. When everyone is talking, everyone is confident. As long as everyone is on the same page, it’s not going to lead to a busted play or a touchdown.”

▪ The Dolphins held Chiefs Pro Bowl tight end Travis Kelce to three receptions and a season-low 14 receiving yards in their 21-14 loss to Kansas City on Nov. 5 in Germany.

“We did pay him some attention, which helped,” defensive coordinator Vic Fangio said. “Probably kept a couple balls away from him, but it wasn’t like it was every play. Just sometimes games work out that way.”

Kelce has 93 receptions for 984 yards this season, but his receiving yardage was limited to 28, 44 and 16 the past three games.

▪ Per ESPN, the Dolphins blitzed on 35 percent of their dropbacks the past two games, compared with 19 percent the first 15 games.

That approach might be necessary with Miami missing its top three edge rushers due to injuries. But it’s also a risky approach against Patrick Mahomes.

Dolphins new outside linebacker addition Justin Houston, who spent his first eight seasons playing for Kansas City, said his adjustment to Miami’s defense has been smooth because “I played in system similar to this in Carolina [earlier this season]. It’s easy to learn the playbook. Thank God for my experience.”

Fangio hasn’t said how he will allocate snaps among edge players Houston, Bruce Irvin, Melvin Ingram and Emmanuel Ogbah.

Houston said “I think we can do a great rotation and keep everyone fresh. That would be good for us and this team.”

Houston, who has 112 career sacks, described his job simply: “I’m a pass rusher. I came down here to put pressure on the quarterback.”

▪ Dolphins special teams coordinator Danny Crossman said he’s “going to beat myself up a long time for it” over Buffalo’s punt return for a touchdown that tied the game in the fourth quarter of last Sunday’s loss to the Bills.

So what happened?

Cameron Goode, who sustained a major knee injury on the play, collided with Alec “Ingold when his knee buckled,” Crossman said. “They made a good play. The returner made a good cut to get away from the first initial player, and then we had the misfortune of running into each other. They made a play.

“We went into that game after 16 regular-season games and gave up the least amount of punt return yards in the National Football League. We punted three other times in that game and didn’t give up another yard, but it doesn’t mean anything because that play went for a touchdown. We believe in what we’re doing. We believe in the players.”

▪ Quick stuff: In an impromptu gathering inside the Dolphins’ locker room, quarterback Tua Tagovailoa expressed his appreciation for his former Alabama coach, Nick Saban, who retired Thursday.

“I’m very, very, very grateful to have been able to play under Nick Saban,” Tagovailoa said. “I don’t know how he was able to find someone like me all the way in Hawaii, being all the way out there in Alabama. He will be missed. He had a knack for putting players in the best position to be successful.”

Dolphins defensive tackle Raekwon Davis, who also played for Saban, said: “We were all shocked” by his retirement...

How will Liam Eichenberg convey line calls with all the crowd noise Saturday? “I have a good scream on me,” he said. “I’ve got some lungs.”...

And how will the Dolphins deal with the Arctic conditions Saturday, with temperatures projected below zero?

Tight end Durham Smythe said he will wear “Vaseline on the skin under the first layer” of clothing.

Guard Robert Hunt said “I’ll put some [expletive] on if I feel like I’m cold.”

And Houston said: “Just stay by the heaters during TV timeouts.”