The Miami Dolphins are dealing with a bad case of the injury bug with the 2023 NFL regular season less than two weeks away.
Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel recently spoke to the media and provided comprehensive updates on six different players — wide receiver Daewood Davis, running back Salvon Ahmed, quarterback Mike White, running back Jeff Wilson Jr., offensive tackle Liam Eichenberg and defensive back Elijah Campbell.
Dolphins WR Daewood Davis is back in the facility. He’s in concussion protocol, McDaniel said.
— Daniel Oyefusi (@DanielOyefusi) August 27, 2023
Dolphins RB Salvon Ahmed is not in concussion protocol and is day to day, McDaniel said.
— Daniel Oyefusi (@DanielOyefusi) August 27, 2023
Mike White has cleared concussion protocol. Mike McDaniel says he’s not ready to announce #2 just yet.
— Joe Schad (@schadjoe) August 27, 2023
Asked if J. Wilson Jr. & Liam Eichenberg will be ready for the season, McDaniel said Liam is "getting better with an extremely thing he's dealing with. Jeff is going through painful midsection things,on top of a finger he's dealing with" Said both would have played if up to them.
— Barry Jackson (@flasportsbuzz) August 27, 2023
Dolphins DB Elijah Campbell sustained a “substantial injury that will take him into the season,” McDaniel said. It’s not his ACL and there’s a chance he could return this szn. Sounds like he’s IR bound.
— Daniel Oyefusi (@DanielOyefusi) August 27, 2023
Arguably the most talented player that McDaniel gave an injury update on was Ahmed, who injured himself in the second quarter of Miami’s preseason loss against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Saturday. The Dolphins lost to the Jaguars by a final score of 31-18, meaning they finished the 2023 preseason with a 1-2 record.
Ahmed, 24, went undrafted in the 2020 NFL Draft after a three-season stint at the University of Washington and has played three seasons in the NFL, all as a member of the Dolphins franchise.
He admittedly had the worst season of his pro career during the 2022 regular season. He ran for a total of just 64 yards and one touchdown in 12 games during the 2022 regular season (zero starts) and averaged a career-low 5.3 rushing yards per game.
But Dolphins fans should feel optimistic about Ahmed’s chances of having a bounce-back season in 2023, as he’s just 24 years old and showed flashes of greatness early on in his NFL career.
In his rookie season, the 2020 season, the 5-foot-11 running back ran for 319 yards and three touchdowns in six games played during the regular season (four starts). Additionally, he averaged an impressive 53.2 rushing yards per game during the 2020 regular season, and his longest rushing attempt that season was for 31 yards.
Here’s to hoping that Ahmed and his injured teammates will all be able to suit up for the Dolphins sooner rather than later. After all, the start of the 2023 regular season is right around the corner, and the Dolphins are in an AFC East division that projects to be very formidable.
