Dolphins Place Koa Misi On IR
8:36pm: Misi might require spinal fusion surgery, the same operation that Peyton Manning famously underwent, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. However, Misi will first see if rehab is able to stave off surgery.
6:01pm: The Dolphins have placed linebacker Koa Misi on injured reserve, the club announced today. Misi is dealing with a neck injury, and one source told Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald that the issue could threaten Misi’s career.
[RELATED: Dolphins Claim Bene Benwikere]
Misi, 29, has seen one specialist thus far and is expected to seek multiple opinions, according to Salguero, who calls the transaction “shocking” given that Miami had given no indication that Misi’s injury could lead to the end of his season or his career. Misi appeared in the first three games of the this season, but was forced leave in Week 3 when he suffered the original injury.
Though Misi would be eligible to come off IR in Week 13, that scenario seems wholly unlikely for multiple reasons. First, if Misi’s injury is possibly career-ending, there would likely be a danger in returning too quickly even if the ailment is not deemed as serious as perceived. Second, the Dolphins are more likely to bring back defensive tackle Earl Mitchell off IR, who can return in Week 8, per Salguero.
Misi is signed through the 2017 campaign. Earlier this year, he agreed to a paycut, lowering his 2016 cap charge from roughly $4.88MM to ~$3.6MM.
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Dolphins Claim Bene Benwikere
The Dolphins have claimed cornerback Bene Benwikere off waivers from the Panthers, according to Tom Pelissero of USA Today (on Twitter). Benwikere was a surprise cut by Carolina earlier this week. 
A starting cornerback for Carolina this year, the team decided to part ways with “Big Play Bene” after Julio Jones exploded for a 300-yard game with 228 of those yards coming against the young corner. After the game, Benwikere admitted to reporters that he was gassed and that may have played a role in his release. The Panthers were expected to shake things up in the secondary, but few expected them to drop one of their top cornerbacks. Once he was cut, however, it was expected that Benwikere would be claimed on waivers.
The 1-4 Dolphins had a high waiver priority and they took advantage of it this week to grab the 25-year-old. Given Xavien Howard‘s knee injury and Byron Maxwell‘s shortcomings, Benwikere makes a lot of sense for Miami.
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Jackson: Tannehill Entering Critical Stretch
- Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald believes Dolphins QB Ryan Tannehill is now entering the most important stretch of his career. He’s a fifth-year signal-caller playing under an offensive savant in head coach Adam Gase and facing an unprecedented 44-day homestand that features four eminently winnable games. If he cannot excel over the next month, it is difficult to believe that he will ever excel.
Dolphins Doubting Ja'Wuan James' Viability?
- The Dolphins aren’t sold on Ja’Wuan James‘ long-term potential at right tackle, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald writes. A Dolphins source questioned the third-year player’s drive, noting the team hasn’t done enough to provide competition for him at that spot. Billy Turner replaced James against the Browns before James reacquired the job due to a Turner injury. “That was a wasted pick for a first-rounder,” former front-office executive Ken Herock told Jackson. “He should have been a third- or fourth-rounder. I questioned his strength, his recovery ability. Those are things I didn’t see.” Pro Football Focus rates James as the No. 44 tackle thus far in 2016 among the 75 who qualify as full-timers.
- Jackson also notes Chiefs center Mitch Morse and Chargers inside linebacker Denzel Perryman drew support from members of the Dolphins front office during Day 2 of the 2015 draft, but Mike Tannenbaum opted to trade down and snag defensive tackle Jordan Phillips, who has not produced to this point, in the second round.
Dolphins’ Xavien Howard Out 3-6 Weeks
The Dolphins were already paper thin at cornerback. Now they’ve lost starter Xavien Howard for three to six weeks because of meniscus surgery, reports Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald. Howard – who suffered the injury in practice this week – previously underwent surgery on the same knee in June, which caused the rookie second-round pick from Baylor to miss all of training camp and the preseason.
Despite his inability to get on the field during the summer, Howard led all Dolphins corners in snaps (304) over the season’s first four weeks. Among Dolphins defensive backs, only standout safety Reshad Jones (314 snaps) has seen more action than Howard this year. Howard amassed 28 tackles, two passes defensed and a forced fumble in his first four NFL games (all starts), with Pro Football Focus ranking his performance a subpar 83rd among 111 qualifying corners.
Part of the reason Howard has been on the field so much in Year 1 is the Dolphins’ lack of capable corners. Their most proven option, big-money offseason pickup Byron Maxwell, is amid his second straight underwhelming campaign. That earned the former Seahawk and Eagle a demotion prior to Miami’s 22-7 loss to the Bengals in Week 4. Maxwell didn’t play a snap in that game, but he’ll return to a prominent role against the Titans in a battle of 1-3 teams on Sunday. Joining him will be Tony Lippett, who has played 67 snaps this year. All of those snaps came versus the Bengals, against whom Lippett picked up his first pro start. However, Cincinnati’s top receiver, A.J. Green, torched the 2015 fifth-rounder from Michigan State.
Maxwell aside, the only Dolphins corner with much of a track record is Chris Culliver, who’s on the physically unable to perform list and hasn’t played this year. Culliver is still recovering from the torn ACL he suffered as a Redskin last November, but head coach Adam Gase expects the sixth-year man to factor into the Dolphins’ secondary when he’s eligible to return after the sixth game of the season.
“He’ll be in the conversation very fast,” said Gase.
Miami’s defense will enter Sunday ranked 20th in DVOA against the pass, 23rd in YPA allowed (7.9), 24th in quarterback rating against (98.4) and tied for 31st in interceptions (one).
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Dolphins Sign TE Dominique Jones
The Dolphins have signed tight end Dominique Jones, according to his reps at Reign Sports (on Twitter). Jones returns to Miami as starting tight end Jordan Cameron deals with his latest concussion. 
[RELATED: Dolphins Not Considering Jay Cutler Move]
Jones, 29, just missed the Dolphins’ final cut earlier this month. In addition to spending the offseason with the Dolphins, he has previous experience with coach Adam Gase thanks to his time in Denver. For his career, Jones has appeared in 13 games with a whopping three catches for 42 yards. He may get a chance to add to those numbers now if Cameron is forced to miss time. Without Cameron, Dion Sims and MarQueis Gray will be bumped up a spot with Jones serving as the No. 3 tight end.
The Dolphins already had an open roster spot, so they won’t have to cut anyone to add Jones.
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Dolphins Not Considering Jay Cutler Move
- While Ryan Tannehill hasn’t impressed in Adam Gase‘s system, the last quarterback who did is not a target for the Dolphins. Any Jay Cutler-to-Miami talk “has never come up,” with a source close familiar with the Dolphins’ thinking telling Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald that scenario is “never happening.”
- Former Dolphins DC Kevin Coyle did not draw rave reviews from his Bengals secondary charges, according to a report earlier this week. However, the Bengals — who beat the Dolphins 22-7 on Thursday night — refute the report the new Cincinnati defensive backs coach is unpopular among his players, per Paul Dehner Jr. of the Cincinnati Enquirer. The Bengals “blew off” that contention, instead pointing to the usual adjustment period associated with new coaches. The Dolphins fired Coyle midway through last season.
Mike Pouncey Expected Back Next Week
- Dolphins lineman Mike Pouncey will return to practice next week, and ESPN.com’s James Walker says the coaching staff is confident the veteran could play in next week’s game against the Titans. The Pro Bowl center has sat out his team’s first four games with a hip injury.
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Dolphins Waive Jamil Douglas
- The Dolphins announced that they’ve waived guard Jamil Douglas. Miami had promoted Douglas from its practice squad before last night’s game against the Bengals, but he’s already off the roster again. Douglas, 24, appeared in all 16 games (six starts) last year, his rookie campaign. If he clears waivers, it’s entirely possible that Douglas is moved to the Dolphins’ taxi squad.
Bills Claim Justin Hunter Off Waivers
The Bills claimed wide receiver Justin Hunter off waivers from the Dolphins, as Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets. The team has since confirmed the move while announcing that fellow wide receiver Sammy Watkins has been placed on IR. 
[RELATED: Bills Place Sammy Watkins On IR]
Hunter came into the league with a ton of hype behind him as a second-round pick in the 2013 draft. Unfortunately, Hunter was never able to put it all together at the NFL level. This year, the new regime in Tennessee bounced Hunter (and other notable players from GM Ruston Webster‘s watch), leading him to be picked up by the Dolphins. However, on Wednesday, Miami opted to waive the wide receiver.
Hunter has an uninspiring 68 receptions and eight touchdowns in 35 career games (13 starts). While Hunter has averaged an impressive 16.8 yards per catch, that number dropped to a career-worst 12.0 on 22 grabs last season. The 2015 campaign was a short one for Hunter, who only appeared in nine games as a result of a mid-November fractured ankle.
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