NFL Practice Squad Updates: 10/18/18
We’ll keep track of today’s practice squad moves here:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: OL Kyle Friend
- Released: OL Will House
Atlanta Falcons
- Signed: LB Jermaine Grace
- Released: LB Richie Brown
Houston Texans
- Released: DB Robert Jackson
Indianapolis Colts
- Signed: G Zack Golditch
- Released: G Sean Harlow
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Signed: OL Brandon Thomas
- Released: OL Michael Dunn
Los Angeles Rams
- Signed: LB Travin Howard
- Released: DB Linden Stephens
Miami Dolphins
- Signed: DL DeShawn Williams
New York Giants
- Released: WR Kalif Raymond
New York Jets
- Signed: RB De’Angelo Henderson
- Placed on injured list: LB Harvey Langi
Philadelphia Eagles
- Released: LB Kyle Wilson
Latest On Ryan Tannehill
The Dolphins will be without Ryan Tannehill for a while. Not only will he miss this Sunday’s game against the Lions, but he’s also unlikely to suit up next Thursday night against the Texans, ESPN.com’s Cameron Wolfe (on Twitter) hears. 
[RELATED: Dolphins Place Chase Allen On IR]
The good news here is that the Dolphins still believe that Tannehill will be able to play again. The team is not currently exploring surgical options for his injured shoulder (Twitter link via Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald) as they believe he’ll be able to play once the swelling and irritation improves.
F0r however long Tannehill is out, they’ll be relying on backup Brock Osweiler to carry the torch. If the one-time coveted free agent continues to play like he did against the Bears in last weekend’s OT win, the Dolphins will get by just fine. If Osweiler implodes against Detroit and Houston and Tannehill’s recovery drags, it’s possible that the Fins will explore the trade market for QB options.
In the short term, the Dolphins will probably stand pat at quarterback. They currently have two healthy QBs on the roster in Osweiler and David Fales.
NFL Investigating Ryan Tannehill Injury
The Dolphins have already ruled out quarterback Ryan Tannehill for their Week 7 contest against the Lions, and the NFL is now investigating how Miami handled reporting Tannehill’s shoulder injury in Week 6, as Cameron Wolfe of ESPN.com reports. Tannehill was a full participant in both Wednesday and Thursday practice last week, but was limited on Friday before being inactive against the Bears on Sunday. The league will often look into such cases where injury designations present something of a question mark; some clubs are subsequently fined, others are cleared, tweets Tom Pelissero of NFL.com. Without Tannehill available, Miami will once again deploy Brock Osweiler, who threw for a career-high 380 yards against Chicago.
Dolphins Designate OL Jake Brendel, LB Mike Hull As IR/Return
The Dolphins will designate offensive lineman Jake Brendel and linebacker Mike Hull to return from injured reserve, according to Cameron Wolfe of ESPN.com (Twitter link), who reports both players were back at Miami’s practice on Wednesday.
Both Brendel and Hull were placed on injured reserve in September after initially being carried through to the Dolphins’ initial 53-man roster. NFL rules stipulate that any player who returns from IR must have been on his club’s original 53-man roster, and also mandates a minimum eight-week absence. As such, both Brendel and Hull can be activated in advance of Miami’s Week 9 matchup against the Jets.
Brendel, 26, joined the Dolphins’ practice squad in 2016 after going undrafted out of UCLA. He went to appear in all 16 games for Miami in 2017, although he didn’t see much action on the field. Brendel played 67 snaps on offense and 87 snaps on special teams, serving in a backup role for the entire campaign. Once he returns from IR, Brendel will give the Dolphins another interior option behind veterans Travis Swanson and Wesley Johnson, the former of whom has taken over at center following Daniel Kilgore‘s season-ending injury.
Like Brendel, Hull has mostly served as a backup since joining the Dolphins in 2015. He played in 32 games from 2016-17, making four starts during that time. But Hull’s main contribution has come on special teams, where he racked up a whopping 631 snaps over the past two seasons. His return could bolster a Miami special teams unit that already ranks third in DVOA, and give the Dolphins linebacker depth after the club placed Chase Allen on injured reserve earlier today.
Because each team is only allowed to IR/return players, Brendel and Hull’s activation will prevent the Dolphins from bringing any other injured players — such as offensive linemen Josh Sitton or Kilgore, or defensive end William Hayes — back in 2018.
Dolphins Place Chase Allen On IR
The Dolphins placed linebacker Chase Allen on injured reserve, according to a team announcement. To fill his spot, the club re-signed safety Maurice Smith. 
Allen played through a foot injury against the Bears and it’s possible that he aggravated the issue while on the field. While he wasn’t a star player in Miami, he was a special teams staple and his hard-nosed play will be missed. It’s not immediately clear whether Allen is a candidate to return later this year or if this is a certain season-ender.
Allen, of course, is just the latest Dolphins player to be hit by the injury bug. Quarterback Ryan Tannehill, cornerback Bobby McCain, and linebacker Cameron Wake face uncertain timetables for return while Allen joins notables William Hayes, Josh Sitton, and Daniel Kilgore on IR.
Despite their bad luck when it comes to health, the Dolphins boast a 4-2 record heading into this week’s contest against the Lions.
Gase: Ryan Tannehill Not Out For Season
Although Brock Osweiler and some pivotal run-after-catch action from his receivers came through to help the Dolphins to key win over the Bears, Ryan Tannehill has obviously been the better quarterback since these two began their careers six years ago. But Tannehill’s dealing with another injury, a shoulder malady, after two years of knee trouble. Adam Gase did not do much to squash the notion his starter’s dealing with a long-term malady, but Miami’s third-year coach said he has “complete confidence” Tannehill will play again this season (Twitter links via the Miami Herald’s Adam Beasley). Despite being listed as one of the longest-odds Super Bowl teams coming into the season, the Dolphins are 4-2 and in early contention for a playoff berth. They host the Lions on Sunday, and Osweiler may have to prepare for another week as the starter.
NFL Workout Updates: 10/16/18
Here’s the latest from the workout circuit. Links to veteran NFL reporter Howard Balzer’s Twitter account, unless otherwise noted.
Chicago Bears
- CB Quinten Rollins (link)
Cleveland Browns
- C Jake Eldrenkamp (visit), WR Chad Hansen, WR Blake Jackson, WR Korey Robertson, WR Damore’ea Stringfellow (link)
Detroit Lions
- T Cole Gardner, G/T Austin Pasztor (link)
Indianapolis Colts
- WR K.J. Brent, WR Krishawn Hogan (link)
Jacksonville Jaguars
- TE Khari Lee, G Brandon Thomas (link)
Kansas City Chiefs
- WR Deontez Alexander, G Jeff Allen, WR J.J. Jones, WR Austin Proehl (link)
Miami Dolphins
- DE Will Clarke, DT Winston Craig, T Antonio Garcia, DE Alec James, T Dieugot Joseph, DT Lewis Neal, T Corey Robinson, DT DeShawn Williams (link)
New York Jets
- WR J.J. Jones, S Charlie Miller, RB Donnel Pumphrey, C Jon Toth, T Toby Weathersby, RB Ralph Webb (link)
Philadelphia Eagles
- LB B.J. Bello, S Ibraheim Campbell, DT Winston Craig (visit), CB Dexter McDougle, CB Quinten Rollins (Twitter links via Balzer and Sirius XM Radio’s Adam Caplan)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- LB Devante Bond (link)
Washington Redskins
- G Oday Aboushi, G J.J. Dielman, G John Jerry (link)
Dolphins Bring Back T Sam Young
Shortly after his release, Sam Young is back with the Dolphins. Miami made the decision to re-sign the veteran tackle on Monday, Cameron Wolfe of ESPN.com tweets.
Miami waived safety Maurice Smith to make room on the roster, per Wolfe. Young was in Smith’s shoes on Saturday but has a roster spot again.
Young serves as offensive line depth for the Dolphins behind Laremy Tunsil and Ja’Wuan James. The Dolphins only had seven healthy linemen available Sunday, with center Wesley Johnson and tackle Zach Sterup in place behind the starters. Young adds a proven swing man to that contingent.
The 31-year-old blocker saw a more prominent role with the 2017 Dolphins, who deployed him as a starter in six games. He played in 10 last season and eight in 2016. Prior to being a free agent Sunday, Young had suited up in the previous five Dolphins games this season.
Cameron Wake Underwent Arthroscopic Knee Surgery, Could Return Next Week
- Dolphins DE Cameron Wake recently underwent arthroscopic knee surgery but could be back as soon as next week, per Adam Schefter of ESPN.com. Normally such a procedure would require a four-week recovery period, but Wake is such a quick healer that he may make it back in a fraction of that time.
Ryan Tannehill To Miss Week 6 With Shoulder Injury
The Dolphins will be without starting quarterback Ryan Tannehill today, per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter). The embattled Brock Osweiler will get the nod in Tannehill’s absence.
As Adam Schefter of ESPN.com writes, Tannehill, who sustained an injury to his throwing shoulder during Miami’s Week 3 win over the Raiders, was listed on the injury report during the run up to the team’s Week 4 game against the Patriots, but he was a full participant in practice every day that week, and he was not listed on the injury report at all before last week’s game against the Bengals.
However, Tannehill’s name did pop up on the injury report this past Wednesday, and even though he fully participated in practice on Wednesday and Thursday, the shoulder injury has reportedly worsened. He was a limited participant in Friday’s practice, and his status for Week 7 is currently unclear.
The Dolphins, after starting the season 3-0, are now 3-2 and will face the daunting Bears’ defense this afternoon. Head coach Adam Gase expressed a great deal of faith in Osweiler and fellow backup David Fales before the start of the season, and that faith will be put to the test today.
During the team’s two-game losing streak, Tannehill, perhaps as a result of his shoulder injury — which has been diagnosed as a sprained AC joint, per Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald — has played poorly. He had three turnovers in the second half of last week’s 27-17 loss to the Bengals, with two of them returned for scores. On the year, he has completed 85 of 129 passes for 972 yards with eight touchdowns and five interceptions
As Jackson points out, this will be Tannehill’s 20th missed game over the past two-and-a-half seasons after not missing a single game during his first four years in the league. Assuming he is able to suit up next week, he will have 10 games to salvage his Dolphins career and justify his $18.7MM salary and $26.6MM cap hit for 2019.