Xavien Howard out against the Eagles along with Connor Williams
By Brian Miller
The yearly injury bug has hit Xavien Howard once again and this time it comes at the wrong time for the Miami Dolphins.
Howard injured his groin last week against the Panthers. On Friday, Howard said he intended to play but after stretching prior to the game tonight, he landed on the inactive list.
Miami will not have Howard or starting center Connor Williams who will miss another game with a groin injury. Miami will start Liam Eichenberg at center.
The Eagles have one of the top defensive fronts in the NFL and are consistent with creating problems for opposing quarterbacks. Offensively, they boast De'Vonta Smith, A.J. Brown, and an older version of Julio Jones but also have several other play making offensive weapons including a very good running back.
Stop all of them and Jalen Hurts is capable of taking the game over.
Without Howard, the Dolphins will have to rely on their younger guys to step up and play tight coverage against bigger WRs. Offensively, Miami has to keep pressure off of Tua Tagovailoa.
Miami will have Chase Claypool active for the first time since Miami traded for him and they will also have Alec Ingold who has been dealing with a foot injury.
The Dolphins have been taking a lot shots this week in the media and are underdogs in tonight's game but they have the talent to beat the Eagles with and without Howard. It would have been a little easier with him.
For the Eagles, CB Bradley Roby and LB Patrick Johnson are the big names that will be missing. They will be without backup Rashaad Penny and DT Moro Ojomo, safety Reed Blankenship, and TE Albert Okwuegbunam.
Can the Dolphins pull off an upset short-rostered due to injuries? We are going to find out in another hour when the game kicks off.