Miami Dolphins get promising news in two crucial areas as the team begins preparations for the Jacksonville Jaguars

It's been about the man in the middle for the Miami Dolphins this offseason, on both sides of the ball.  The team i nvested largely in free agent center Aaron Brewer to replace Connor Williams.

The team also brought in a number of options at defensive tackle to try and combat the loss of Christian Wilkins.  Out of that group, Benito Jones emerged as the likely starter alongside Zach Sieler, confirmed by the first depth chart of the preseason that saw Jones listed as a starter.

However, injuries to both Brewer and Jones have kept them out of practice for an extended period and raised questions about their availability for the Dolphins' season opener against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday at 1:00 pm ET at Hard Rock Stadium.

Per Mike McDaniel on Monday, both men are at least finally returning to the practice field this week.

“Well, you’re going to see them participate in practice this week. Boom."

However, as far as whether Brewer's injured hand is ready to handle the rigors of snapping, McDaniel was a bit more vague.

“You have to let the player do it, but that’s the anticipation. Fortunately enough for our group, we’ll see how that progresses. I feel great about our starting offensive line, I also feel great about the contingencies we have in place should we have a different version of that this week. So all things, I’m confident by the work orchestrated by the individual players, and how that will play out over the course of the week, my crystal ball is broke, but we’ll take it one step at a time.”

The Dolphins' offensive line will be without one starter for sure on Sunday, as left guard Isaiah Wynn will be starting the season on the PUP list with that lingering quad injury he suffered in Week of 2023.  Rob Jones is in line to hold down that spot.

If Brewer can't go on Sunday, then veteran IOL Liam Eichenberg will draw the start in his place.

If Brewer and Jones can ramp up their participation in practice throughout the week, then that will be a good sign for their availability for the game on Sunday.

Related: How to watch, stream, and listen to the Miami Dolphins' Week 1 matchup with the Jacksonville Jaguars