The Dolphins will be without tight end Darren Waller for the immediate future, but he avoided a season-ending injury.
An MRI revealed that Waller has a strained pectoral muscle and not a fully torn pec.
The injury will not require surgery and coach Mike McDaniel suggested there’s a good chance he will miss Miami’s two games next week -- Sunday at Atlanta (1 p.m., CBS-4) and Oct. 30 against Baltimore.
“It would be living in hope to see him in next week’s games,” McDaniel said.
Waller sustained the injury after playing 16 offensive snaps in a 34-6 loss to Cleveland. He has 10 catches for 117 yards and four touchdown receptions in four games this season. He missed the first three games of the season with a hip injury.
McDaniel said none of the four Dolphins who are now eligible to return off injured reserve are able to begin practicing yet. Those four: kicker Jason Sanders and offensive linemen James Daniels, Austin Jackson and Andrew Meyer.
Guard Liam Eichenberg, who also is eligible to return from the physically unable to perform list, isn’t healthy enough to begin practicing.
McDaniel addressed other issues:
▪ As expected, McDaniel said Tua Tagovailoa - who is tied for the league lead in interceptions - will continue to take all the first team snaps in practice and will start this week. He joked that he doesn’t expect him to throw 10 interceptions.
Against Cleveland, rookie Quinn Ewers was the No. 2 quarterback for the first time this season, and McDaniel said he would allow Ewers and Zach Wilson to compete for the job this week before deciding who will back up Tagovailoa against the Falcons. But McDaniel said he hopes the No. 2 decision is resolved permanently at some point.
▪ McDaniel doesn’t mention CBS analyst and former Steelers coach Bill Cowher by name, but quibbled with his claim that Dolphins players were disinterested.
It’s “not people were disinterested,” McDaniel said, reiterating penalties as a problem.
McDaniel said he was “clear” and “direct” with players after watching the tape.
“That was an embarrassing effort,” he said. “... I don’t really an opinion on the two teams against each other because we didn’t really participate in the game.”
McDaniel and the offense watched the Cleveland game tape on Monday morning “and discussed how we can improve for each other,” McDaniel said, saying he changed “the tempo” of film watching to correct several mistakes.
▪ McDaniel said “no words” will make things better. “We need to fix things fast, starting with me.”
▪McDaniel, who graciously engages weekly questions about what he and owner Stephen Ross talked to him about after the game, said he and Ross discussed the Cleveland game after the Cleveland game. “Didn’t see it playing out that way,” McDaniel said of the game.
McDaniel will remain the team’s coach this week.