The expected return date for Dolphins center Mike Pouncey from hip surgery moved in the wrong direction for Miami last month when reports indicated that Pouncey would miss most or all of the first two months of the regular season.
Pouncey doesn’t think that’s the case, however. He said, via Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald, that there’s “no question” that he’ll be ready to play in the first six weeks of the regular season. That timeframe is significant because the Dolphins will have to decide whether or not to keep Pouncey on the PUP list for the regular season, a move that would mean he’d miss at least the first six weeks of the year. Pouncey didn’t have a date in mind to gain activation from the list, however.
“We had a couple discussions about it,” Pouncey said, via the Miami Herald. “I’m just letting them make the decision. I hope I’m not on PUP, but it’s not up to me. I want to play.”
Samson Satele has taken over at center since rejoining the team that originally drafted him, giving the Dolphins a bit more experience at the position while Pouncey is out. That experience would be quickly cast aside in favor of Pouncey’s talent, but the Dolphins will have to figure out when that talent will be healthy enough before making their final cuts later this month.