Two Miami Dolphins starters are out with concussions

The Miami Dolphins will be without two and likely three key starters against the Tennessee Titans on Monday night.

Head coach Mike McDaniel said before practice Saturday that tackle Terron Armstead and cornerback Kendall Fuller would miss the game after each suffering concussions in the 24-3 loss to the Seattle Seahawks in Week 3, and that he would not was optimistic that linebacker David Long, Jr. could play due to a hamstring injury.

Armstead appeared to be injured on Jaylen Wright’s 8-yard run midway through the second quarter when he fell to the ground while blocking and put his hands over his face after the play. However, he remained in the game for two more games. On the final play, Armstead blocked defenseman Jarran Reed while Thompson was sacked. He came out and was replaced by Kendall Lamm.

It is unclear when Fuller was injured.

Missing Monday night’s game will extend an unfortunate streak for Armstead, who has yet to play in every regular-season game since entering the NFL with the New Orleans Saints in 2013. It will be the 12th regular season Armstead has missed since joining the Dolphins as an unrestricted free agent in 2022 – four in his first year, seven last season and now this one.

Head coach Mike McDaniel declined to say who would start in the absence of Armstead and Fuller, although it wouldn’t be a surprise if rookie second-round pick Patrick Paul gets the nod at left tackle.

Lamm replaced Armstead in the lineup against Seattle and started for him last season, but Paul is the left tackle of the future and this might be the right time to bring him into the lineup.

As for the cornerback position, rookie free agent Storm Duck would be the first to replace Fuller based on the number of snaps this season, but he redshirted in practice on Thursday and Friday while suffering a shoulder injury. The other options are veteran special teams standouts Siran Neal and Ethan Bonner, although Neal is dealing with a hamstring injury (he practiced Friday).

If Fuller is out, the Dolphins could also activate either veteran Nik Needham or rookie Isaiah Johnson from the practice squad.

The two options to replace Long at linebacker would be veteran Anthony Walker Jr. and Duke Riley.