Tyus Bowser was placed on injured reserve due to knee and calf injuries.
Nearly 11 months after signing linebackers Justin Houston and Bruce Irvin for a playoff game against the Kansas City Chiefs, edge rusher continuity remains a challenge for the Miami Dolphins.
Miami announced that linebacker Tyus Bowser was placed on injured reserve Thursday after missing practice all week due to knee and calf injuries. He was listed on the Week 12 injury report with the same injuries but fully practiced three times before playing 30 snaps against the New England Patriots.
The Dolphins signed Bowser from the Seattle Seahawks practice squad after Jaelan Phillips suffered a season-ending knee injury in early October. Bowser appeared in seven games and was steady on the edge with 10 tackles and four hurries.
With Phillips on injured reserve and Shaq Barrett retired, attention turns to the possible return of Bradley Chubb and Cameron Goode. While there is no official timeline, Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel expressed optimism about their potential to return this season.
“I have nothing to report other than no setbacks,” McDaniel said Tuesday. “They’re getting closer for sure and there’s a lot that goes into it.”
The Dolphins failed to take down Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love on Thursday night and now ranks 29th with 1.8 sacks per game. Rookie Chop Robinson is picking up the pace with 3.5 sacks in the last five games, but he wasn’t selected at No. 21 overall to be a core player in year one.
Emmanuel Ogbah has matched Robinson’s 3.5 sacks while appearing in 11 games this season and six defenders each have one sack, but defensive tackle duo Zach Sieler and Calais Campbell lead the team’s pass rush with four sacks each. Miami’s defense has 21 sacks through 12 games — less than half of the Denver Broncos, who lead the league with 44 quarterback takedowns.
At 5-7, there’s a laundry list of reasons why the Dolphins have failed to reach expectations for 2024. While Miami may still get the playoffs by running the table, it’s much harder when unable to generate pressure off the edge consistently.