While he might help them more if he could play receiver, the Dolphins are hoping to get Jake Long on the field in his normal capacity.
Dolphins coach Joe Philbin said he expected his left tackle to be ready to play next Sunday against the Texans, after he tweaked his right knee in practice Monday. He was wearing a knee brace and working on the side with other injured players yesterday.
“Our anticipation is to have 53 healthy guys as we start to prepare for Houston,” Philbin said, via the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. “Time will tell. But that’s the anticipation we have.”
While Philbin’s quote falls well short of “Yes, absolutely,” Long didn’t sound as confident.
He didn’t comment when asked about playing the opener, saying only: “It’s getting better every day. I’m doing a lot of rehab and treatment and just working to get back.”
With all the other problems the Dolphins have, having to figure out how to replace the guy who might be the best player on the roster is clearly not anything they’re looking forward to.