The injury bug continues to nest inside the Miami Dolphins' facilities in 2024 after wreaking havoc in 2023. Unfortunately, one of the handful that it bit on Saturday night in the Dolphins' 13-6 win over the Washington Commanders won't be back any time soon, it appears.
Per Mike McDaniel on Monday morning , River Cracraft suffered an upper body injury that will keep him out for "some time", although not apparently season ending. Cracraft left the field with medical staff after grabbing a 13-yard touchdown from Tua Tagovailoa on Saturday night.
"It was an upper body injury. It will be some time for sure. It doesn't appear to be season ending, but it will be some time. No one likes to see injuries in general. I'm at the top of that list. But I think that if there's anybody equipped to handle adversity, it's River Cracraft. I don't know how many teams he's been on, but it's a lot, and he's worked his way to be a very good player in this league, and that confidence will sustain. He did some real good things [in] the game, and so when he's back, I expect him to be the best version, just like we saw."
McDaniel added an update on Cam Smith, who suffered an apparent right hamstring injury in the second half of the game, and David Long, Jr. He said Smith would be week to week moving forward. Long, Jr. would have been available to go back into the game, McDaniel added. Chris Brooks, who also left, is in concussion protocol per McDaniel. WR Braylon Sanders is week-to-week with a lower body injury as well.
So out of the group of injuries, it appears the Dolphins avoided any significant ones outside of Cracraft. However, Cracraft's absence will hurt. He'd clearly looked like the team's WR3 with Odell Beckham, Jr. on the mend.
It's impossible to deny the concerns that are arising with Miami's wide receiver unit. Jaylen Waddle and Beckham, Jr. have dealt with injuries that have kept them off the practice field, and now Cracraft joins that group. Seventh-round pick Tahj Washington already suffered a season-ending injury.
As such, it looks as though rookie Malik Washington's chances of making the final 53-man roster just increased significantly, and he and Braxton Berrios and Erik Ezukanma could end up seeing an increased role, at least early in the season.
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