Miami Dolphins offer mixed bag of updates as Week 7 vs. Philadelphia Eagles gets closer

The Miami Dolphins have elevated tight end Tanner Conner and activated running back Jeff Wilson Jr. off injured reserved ahead of Sunday’s game against the Philadelphia Eagles.

Also, cornerback Nik Needham has been downgraded to out against the Eagles.

Conner went undrafted in the 2022 NFL Draft after playing college football at Idaho State University and has played both of his seasons in the NFL with the Dolphins franchise. He totaled just three targets in 13 games played with Miami during the 2022 regular season, his rookie season.

Wilson, meanwhile, is in his second season with the Dolphins after spending his first four-plus seasons in the NFL with the San Francisco 49ers. He racked up 860 rushing yards, five rushing touchdowns and 43 first downs rushing across 16 appearances with the 49ers and Dolphins in the 2022 regular season. Also, his longest rushing attempt a season ago was for 41 yards.

Needham has played four seasons in the NFL — all as a member of the Dolphins — since Miami signed him as an undrafted free agent following the 2019 NFL Draft. He had a forgettable 2022 regular season with the Dolphins, seeing as how he played just six games with the team and logged 21 combined tackles before suffering a season-ending injury.

The 26-year-old cornerback played at a high level during the season before last, the 2021 season. Needham accumulated 59 combined tackles, five passes defended, two interceptions, one tackle for loss and two quarterback hits across 17 games during the regular season. He also recovered one fumble.

Needham being downgraded for Sunday’s game against the Eagles is bad news for Dolphins fans, but it’s also encouraging to see that Wilson is off injured reserve. After all, Wilson has yet to play a game for the Dolphins during the 2023 regular season and enjoyed the best season of his career a season ago.

After playing Philadelphia, the Dolphins will then face off against the New England Patriots on Oct. 29. Miami played the Patriots back on Sept. 17 and won that game by a final score of 24-17.