Will Miami Dolphins be short on DE’s against Jaguars?

The news for the Miami Dolphins this week isn’t at it’s best. According to reports the Dolphins may be without several defensive ends as they travel to Jacksonville ahead of their game with the Jaguars. Ailing are Cameron Wake, Derrick Shelby, and Olivier Vernon. The injuries have put the Dolphins into a position of working linebacker Chris McCain at defensive end.

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Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald told his Twitter followers today that McCain has been an exclusive participant on the front lines next to the defensive tackles.

Wake is nursing a hamstring injury, Shelby has a black eye from having it poked in week one, and Vernon was dinged up during the Redskins contest as well and missed a series of play. All three have been very limited in practice. The worst situation is that of Cameron Wake who’s hamstring could become a problem this year if it doesn’t heal completely.

McCain is no rookie to the defensive line. While he hasn’t played snaps in a game the Dolphins have been giving him work at the position since OTA’s and he got a lot of work during training camp. The Dolphins are suddenly thin at defensive end but they still have decent enough depth to provide quarterback pressure.

If Olivier Vernon can not play this weekend or is limited, Terrence Fede will step in. Last Sunday Fede looked good in place of Vernon and got positive push upfield. The Dolphins have liked what they have seen out of the small college 7th round pick. Fede would need to have one of his best outings on Sunday but he isn’t much of a concern as he has played well through one season and one game.

Whether or not McCain can elevate his game on the other hand is a serious question. He was not active last Sunday as a linebacker and has not shown the progress that the coaches had expected. The move of McCain is a gamble that needs to payoff. Not just for the team but for McCain. He is struggling to pick up the linebacker assignments and defensive end isn’t any easier.

One question that will need answering is McCain’s discipline. Working the edge on defense is a lot more than simply rushing the quarterback. As the outside defender, containment on runs is imperative. McCain will need to keep the edge and push the plays back inside to the linebackers and may be asked to drop into coverage where as a linebacker he has struggled. McCain does have a lot going for him. He has good speed and can lower his shoulders to push through blockers. He also maintains a high intensity and the reads at defensive end shouldn’t be as complex as they are at linebacker.

Now all of this could be for nothing if Wake plays and it’s not unreasonable to believe that the Dolphins are overplaying the injuries and questions regarding availability. It is after all the NFL. If however Wake’s hamstring is an issue the Dolphins are going to need him to rest and get healthy or they risk further injury to a star player.

As it relates Shelby, for now it’s a matter of his eyesight and swelling. A simple black eye won’t keep him off the field but an eyesight problem will. One thing is for certain, the Dolphins injury report is not going to look good on the surface for the teams defensive ends.