Tyreek Hill, Tua Tagovailoa, and three other offensive players are also questionable for Sunday in Cleveland
The Miami Dolphins will be without two starters on defense as they look to climb back to .500 on Sunday afternoon against the Cleveland Browns. Linebacker Anthony Walker (knee) and cornerback Kendall Fuller (knee) missed practice this week and are officially out for Week 17.
The Dolphins listed six players questionable for Sunday in the final injury report: Left tackle Terron Armstead (knee), safety Jordan Poyer (knee/finger), wide receiver Jaylen Waddle (knee), wide receiver Dee Eskridge (knee), wide receiver Tyreek Hill (wrist), and quarterback Tua Tagovailoa (hip).
While Tagovailoa and Hill were both limited throughout the week, they’re expected to be good for Sunday’s matchup in Cleveland. Coach Mike McDaniel added that Hill had a strong week of practice after a few dropped passes against the San Francisco 49ers.
“I thought he had a phenomenal week of practice,” McDaniel said Friday. “Not only from an execution of assignment perspective, but the way he attacked the ball.
“What I don’t like – drops happen in the game of football; pretty much 100 percent of the time people are trying to catch it, but there’s technique to catching the football that a lot of times you get weary of people getting passive when the ball’s in the air because of past experiences. And not only was he catching a ton of footballs this week, but he was doing so aggressively.”
Armstead was stout last week against the 49ers despite missing practice on Wednesday and Thursday. He returned to practice Friday and practiced in full, which has McDaniel hopeful he’ll anchor the offensive line Sunday.
“I’m optimistic because it’s Armstead and we’re going to see him out there today and he’s coming off a very good game, so I know he’s going to do anything and everything. But I’m optimistic for today and for the game.”
Keeping with the optimism, McDaniel added that Poyer is trending in the right direction, and while there’s still some uncertainty surrounding Waddle — McDaniel is optimistic ‘because of the way he goes at it.’
The Browns will be without tight end David Njoku (knee), defensive end Ogbo Okoronkwo (knee), and wide receiver Cedric Tillman (concussion). Njoku is second on the team with 64 receptions and leads the team with five receiving touchdowns, while Tillman ranks second on the team with 11.7 yards per reception.
Originally a primetime Sunday Night showdown, the kickoff between the Dolphins and Browns is now slated for 4:05 p.m. at Huntington Bank Field.
