Phins Hit Again! Davis Suffers Lower Leg Injury!

The Dolphins secondary is taking a lot of injury hits this Training Camp

The Miami Dolphins’ secondary faces another setback as safety Ashtyn Davis sustained a lower leg injury during Tuesday’s practice at the Baptist Health Training Complex. Davis, who signed a one-year, $2.5 million contract with the Dolphins in March, was participating in 11-on-11 drills when he went down. He was seen limping off the field and later returned on crutches, wearing a boot on his left foot.

This injury adds to the Dolphins’ growing list of concerns in the secondary. Cornerback Artie Burns is out for the season with a torn ACL, and fellow cornerback Kader Kohou is day-to-day with a leg injury. Rookie safety Dante Trader Jr. has also been limited in practice.

Davis had many Phins fans hopeful

The good news is Miami did add two cornerbacks this week with the addition of Jack Jones and Mike Hilton, Fitzpatrick is looking back to form, and rookie Marhsall Jr is showing signs.

On the downside, Cam Smith is playing his way off the team and with Kohou’s health in the air, Davis is a hit.

Not a devastating blow, but a hit.

Davis, 28, brings valuable experience to the Dolphins’ defense. Over his five-year career with the New York Jets, he appeared in 69 games with 22 starts, recording eight interceptions and 15 pass breakups. His versatility allows him to play both strong and free safety positions. Prior to the injury, Davis was competing for a starting role alongside Minkah Fitzpatrick and Ifeatu Melifonwu, who is battling a shorter-term injury.

Chris Grier’s love of signing cheap players with long injury histories continues to be a loser. Both Davis and Melifonwu have battled tons of injuries throughout their careers, and Grier’s love of river boat rolls has come up snake-eyes again.

With Davis’s status uncertain, the Dolphins will have to rely more heavily on Fitzpatrick, Melifonwu–when he returns, and second-year safety Patrick McMorris. Depth options include John Saunders and Jordan Colbert, though both are relatively unproven at the NFL level.

Minkah is the saving grace & Trader the wildcard

The signing of Fitzpatrick was a lifesaver, but if Davis is down for a long time, the depth of this unit isn’t there. One long term injury to either Fitzpatrick or Melifonwu and the safety position could be a very vulnerable spot on this defense unless Trader shows up big.

Dante Trader showed a ton of good signs but has been sidelined with injuries. While it appears the injury isn’t serious, Trader is a rookie and needs all the reps he can get. Maybe he can find his groove and be the wildcard for this Dolphins safety group? Even if he can be a spot duty guy taking some of the load off Fitzpatrick and Melifonwu it would be a big help. I wouldn’t bet the house on it with the best pay per head, but I don’t think it’s pie in the sky’ either.

We won’t know though either way until we see him on the field in action. Fingers crossed on that one.

Head coach Mike McDaniel is expected to provide an update on Davis’s condition in the coming days on both Davis and Kohou. So now we have to wait for the results of both Davis and Kohou to see what we have. No more whammies. Go Phins!!!