As the Dolphins stopped their losing skid in games Tua Tagovailoa did not finish, another of their top players sustained an injury that is expected to sideline him for a bit.
Safety Jevon Holland suffered a broken bone in his hand in Sunday’s win over the Patriots, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. It is not yet known if IR will be in play here, but the Dolphins are readying to play without their top safety.
Holland’s left hand was in a cast following the game, with some discussion of surgery between he and his teammates, per Omar Kelly of the Miami Herald. An extended absence by the star safety would be a significant blow to a Miami defense that entered Week 4 allowing just 162.5 passing yards per game, the fifth-lowest in the NFL.
The Dolphins also played their Week 5 game without their other starting safety, Jordan Poyer, who missed his first game of the season due to a shin injury. Elijah Campbell is listed as Holland’s backup on the Dolphins’ depth chart, but he started just two games across his first four NFL seasons. Mike McDaniel could instead turn to veteran Marcus Maye, who signed with Miami in June. Maye has 77 starts across his eight year career, though he has played just 25% of the Dolphins’ defensive snaps this season.
Holland is also in the final year of his rookie contract, so his broken bone could impact his upcoming negotiations with the Dolphins. The two sides had yet to make progress on extension talks entering the season, and Holland’s injury may throw another wrench into this matter.
The former second-round pick was active for every game in his first two NFL seasons before a concussion sidelined him in Week 8 last year. A knee malady held him out from Weeks 12 to 15 in 2023 and recurred in Week 18 to keep him out of the Dolphins’ wild-card loss to the Chiefs. Holland will be looking to capitalize on the recent boom in safety salaries, so a smooth recovery will be important to ensure that Miami (or a free agency suitor) will be getting its money’s worth.