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Mike Pouncey

Dolphins Concerned About Mike Pouncey

November 18th, 2016 at 11:10am CST by Zachary Links

The Dolphins are worried about Mike Pouncey‘s long-term health, according to Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (video link). Pouncey has had hip issues for the past two years and those troubles resurfaced this week. Mike Pouncey (Vertical)

The standout center has missed time in each of the past four season with various injuries. With this particular issue, some within the organization believe that this is a degenerative issue, meaning that it could lead to the premature end of his career. The Dolphins do believe that he will play again this season, but it sounds like there are question marks about 2017 and beyond.

It should be noted that there are conflicting reports on Pouncey’s long-term status. Just yesterday, Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald reported that Pouncey’s hip injury is not a career-threatening situation. Still, Pouncey has undergone three hip surgeries since 2014 and it would be foolish to dismiss Cole’s report.

Pouncey, 27, has made the Pro Bowl as both a guard and center in recent years. The sixth-year pro graded as the league’s No. 11 center last year, according to Pro Football Focus’ metrics. This year, he is just the 29th ranked center, putting him ten spots behind his brother, Maurkice Pouncey.

AFC Notes: Chiefs, Carr, Raiders, Dolphins

November 17th, 2016 at 6:58pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Chiefs running back Jamaal Charles landed on injured reserve Nov. 1 because he needed surgery on his right knee, in which he tore his ACL last season. It turns out Charles also underwent surgery on his left knee Thursday, but it actually increases the odds of a return this year, reports Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (video link). Charles has now had the meniscus in each knee trimmed, not repaired, and could be a factor for the Chiefs if they make the playoffs. Despite having only gotten 12 carries from the four-time Pro Bowler this year, the 7-2 Chiefs are currently the AFC’s second seed and look bound for the postseason.

More from the AFC:

  • With Oakland and Houston set to meet this week, Raiders quarterback Derek Carr revealed Thursday that the Texans never talked to him in advance of the 2014 draft (Twitter link via Vic Tafur of the San Francisco Chronicle). Of course, Carr’s brother, the now-retired David Carr, was the Texans’ first-ever draft pick as an expansion franchise in 2002. David flamed out in Houston, though he had little help, while Derek has become one of the NFL’s best signal-callers since going 36th overall in his class. The Texans could have taken Carr at No. 33, but they chose guard Xavier Su’a-Filo instead. Su’a-Filo has started in 19 of 33 appearances, including all nine this year, and currently ranks 61st in overall performance among Pro Football Focus’ 81 qualified guards.
  • Dolphins left tackle Branden Albert underwent left wrist surgery Thursday and is now week-to-week, according to Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald. Another integral Dolphins O-lineman – center Mike Pouncey – aggravated the hip injury that has kept him out of four games this year, putting his status in doubt, per Salguero. It’s not a career-threatening issue for Pouncey, who has undergone three hip surgeries since 2014, but it’s unknown how much time he’ll miss. The resurgent Dolphins, winners of four straight and owners of a 5-4 record, are likely to start Laremy Tunsil at left tackle and Anthony Steen at center against the Rams on Sunday.
  • Now eligible to return from his one-year ban, Raiders linebacker Aldon Smith says he “won’t be defeated,” as EastBayTimes.com’s Jimmy Durkin writes. “I won’t take no for answer,” Smith said. “I won’t be defeated. You’ve got to understand that it’s your life. You control it. You can’t let nobody else control it. It doesn’t matter what they try to do to you. And most importantly, God put you here for a reason so make the best out of your life, your situation and be a blessing to somebody else and show the world what you’re worth.” Smith got the ball rolling on his reinstatement late last month.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

Injury Updates: Bosa, Pouncey, Brown, Doctson

October 1st, 2016 at 8:50am CST by Ben Levine

Redskins coach Jay Gruden may sit rookie wideout Josh Doctson, who is currently struggling through an Achilles injury. After having hauled in a single catch for 57 yards through two games, the first-rounder was a late scratch prior to last weekend’s game against the Giants. The injury first popped up all the way back during May’s OTAs.

“We’ve had all of the tests, and there is really nothing there that we should be concerned about from a long-term problem,” Gruden told ESPN.com’s John Keim. “It’s just, he is dealing with some pain. We don’t know why it is, but we have to try and figure out what it is and get it fixed.

“It could be a possibility or a time that we put him down for a couple more weeks or a couple more days like we’re taking him off today, probably sit him down tomorrow and see if that helps a little bit.”

Let’s check out some more injury news from around the NFL…

  • Chargers first-round pick Joey Bosa has been ruled out for Sunday’s game against the Saints, but the defensive end is confident that he’ll be making his debut very soon. “I’m very close,” Bosa told ESPN.com’s Eric D. Williams. “We’re getting there. We’re just being smart. There’s no point to rush someone back, and then you get hurt and you’re out for longer when we’ve got a really long season ahead of us.” The third-overall pick has been hampered by a hamstring injury.
  • Dolphins lineman Mike Pouncey will return to practice next week, and ESPN.com’s James Walker says the coaching staff is confident the veteran could play in next week’s game against the Titans. The Pro Bowl center has sat out his team’s first four games with a hip injury.
  • Texans left tackle Duane Brown has been ruled out of this Sunday’s contest against the Titans, reports Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle. The Pro Bowler is recovering from an injured quad muscle.
  • In case you missed it, Bills wideout Sammy Watkins was placed on the injured reserve yesterday.

Major Injury Notes: D. Thomas, Bosa, Ivory

September 11th, 2016 at 12:50pm CST by Rory Parks

Week 1 is always a time for optimism, but it invariably brings the heartache of injury as well. We will keep track of some of the more significant injuries (or, in some cases, illnesses) right here over the course of the day.

  • Potentially bad news for Broncos fans, courtesy of ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Schefter tweets that star wideout Demaryius Thomas, who suffered a hip injury during Thursday night’s contest against Carolina, underwent an MRI on Friday that will now be sent for a second opinion. There is no word on what the first opinion was.
  • Chargers rookie defensive end Joey Bosa is week-to-week with a Grade 1 strained hamstring, as Schefter tweets. Per Schefter, Bosa has still not practiced in pads, so it could be awhile before he suits up for a regular season game.
  • Jaguars RB Chris Ivory was admitted to the hospital for an undisclosed issue last night, which is why he was deactivated for the team’s game today, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter). Rapoport also tweets that Ivory will be reevaluated for this issue later this week, and his Week 2 status will hinge on that evaluation. Jason Cole of Bleacher Report adds (via Twitter) that Ivory is undergoing tests and observation in the hospital.
  • Schefter tweets that Dolphins center Mike Pouncey has a small fracture in his hip and is scheduled to undergo a CT scan later this week. Schefter adds that Pouncey could miss another week or two.

Dolphins’ Mike Pouncey Could Miss Week One

August 21st, 2016 at 3:19pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Dolphins center Mike Pouncey is unlikely to play in any more preseason contests and could potentially miss Week One with a hip injury, head coach Adam Gase told reporters, including Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald and James Walker of ESPN.com (Twitter links). Pouncey had offseason surgery on his right hip, but this injury is on his left side, tweets Salguero.Mike Pouncey (Vertical)

[RELATED: Dolphins Eyeing Stephen Tulloch]

Miami’s offensive line is undergoing a wave of change along its interior, so losing Pouncey as the anchor, for any amount of time, is all the more troubling. First-round pick Laremy Tunsil is competing with Dallas Thomas to start at left guard, while free agent signee Jermon Bushrod is pushing against Billy Turner for playing time on the right side. Anthony Steen, a former undrafted free agent who spent 2015 on Miami’s practice squad, appears to be the next man up at center.

Pouncey, 27, had hip surgery back in 2014, and ultimately missed four games to begin that campaign. He rebounded, however, starting 12 games while appearing mostly at guard, and ended up making the Pro Bowl. In 2015, Pouncey once again made the Pro Bowl after returning to center and starting 14 games, though he was derailed by a late-season ankle injury. The sixth-year pro graded as the league’s No. 11 center last year, according to Pro Football Focus’ metrics.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

AFC East Notes: Richardson, Giacomini, Dolphins

July 1st, 2016 at 11:32am CST by Ben Levine

Yesterday, Jets defensive end Sheldon Richardson was suspended one game for violating the NFL’s personal conduct policy. After having previously been arrested for driving 143 mph, the 25-year-old was actually grateful that he didn’t earn a longer suspension.

“So the league has sent down there decision,” Richardson wrote on Instagram, “I have to live with it I’m grateful it could have been more but this is overspill from a silly offseason on my part but I’ve grown from it been pass it….I’m still smiling like its draft day.”

Fortunately, as RosterResource.com shows, the Jets should have enough depth on the defensive line to make up for Richardson’s one-game absence. Of course, there’s still lingering concern over the status of fellow d-lineman Muhammad Wilkerson.

While we await some clarity on that situation, let’s check out some more notes from the AFC East…

  • This upcoming season could be right tackle Breno Giacomini‘s final year with the Jets, writes Brian Costello of the New York Post. The lineman didn’t have a strong 2015 campaign, and the writer sees little reason why the 30-year-old will improve in 2016. The organization could save $4.5MM against the cap by cutting Giacomini following the season.
  • The Dolphins added plenty of reinforcement to the offensive line this past offseason. The team selected Laremy Tunsil in the first round, and they also added free agents Jermon Bushrod, Kraig Urbik and Sam Young. With this newfound depth, Mike Pouncey is expecting a bounceback season from the unit. “Obviously, we feel like we got a lot of talent on [the] offensive line,” Pouncey told ESPN.com’s James Walker. “We feel comfortable about the guys that we got in our room. This will be one of the first years in a long time we’ll have depth going into the season. As long as everyone stays healthy, we look forward to having a good year.”
  • Speaking of Tunsil, ESPN.com’s AFC East reporters explain how the first-round pick could ultimately help Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill.

Watt, Bryant, Others Get Salary Guarantees

March 13th, 2016 at 6:20pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Several NFL players have contracts containing language which states that they’ll get a full or partial salary guarantees for 2016 and/or 2017 if they remained on their respective teams on Sunday, the fifth day of the league year. Let’s check in on those players (link courtesy of CBS Sports’ Joel Corry):

  • Ryan Tannehill, quarterback (Dolphins): $3.5MM of $17.975MM base salary for 2017 is guaranteed.
  • Dez Bryant, wide receiver (Cowboys): $13MM base salary for 2017 is guaranteed.
  • T.Y. Hilton, wide receiver (Colts): $3MM base salary for 2016 is guaranteed. $6MM roster bonus now "<strongpayable.
  • Anthony Castonzo, offensive tackle (Colts): $2.5MM base salary for 2016 is guaranteed. $4.5MM roster bonus now payable.
  • Tyron Smith, offensive tackle (Cowboys): $10MM base salary for 2016 is guaranteed.
  • Branden Albert, offensive tackle (Dolphins): $6MM of $8.245MM base salary for 2017 is guaranteed.
  • Mike Pouncey, center (Dolphins): $9MM base salary for 2016 is guaranteed, as is $2MM of Pouncey’s $7.95MM base salary in 2017.
  • Maurkice Pouncey, center (Steelers): $3.5MM roster bonus now payable.
  • Cameron Heyward, defensive end (Steelers): $5MM roster bonus now payable.
  • J.J. Watt, defensive end (Texans): $10.5MM base salaries for 2016 and 2017 are guaranteed.
  • Robert Quinn, defensive end (Rams): $7,777,777MM base salary for 2016 is guaranteed.
  • Lavonte David, linebacker (Buccaneers): $5MM base salary for 2016 is guaranteed.
  • Chris Harris Jr., cornerback (Broncos): $6.9MM base salary for 2016 is guaranteed.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

AFC East Notes: Cromartie, Develin, Pouncey

February 23rd, 2016 at 10:29am CST by Luke Adams

Before they released cornerback Antonio Cromartie on Monday, the Jets did not ask him to take a pay cut, according to Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News (Twitter link). Cromartie had been set to earn an $8MM base salary for 2016, but none of it was guaranteed, and there was no prorated signing bonus money on the cornerback’s deal, so the Jets cleared the entire $8MM cap hit from their books.

The fact that the Jets didn’t ask Cromartie to come back at a reduced price – combined with his farewell Instagram post on Monday – suggests that the team probably doesn’t have any interest in re-signing him now that he has hit free agency.

Here’s more on how the Jets may replace Cromartie, along with a couple more items from out of the AFC East:

  • Former undrafted free agent Marcus Williams deserves the first crack at taking over for Cromartie, says Rich Cimini of ESPN.com. In Cimini’s view, promoting an in-house option or using a mid-round pick on a cornerback makes more sense than diving into the free agent market, since the $8MM the team saved on Cromartie could be used elsewhere.
  • Fullback James Develin is a part of the Patriots‘ free agent plans and they want him back, Mike Reiss of ESPN.com writes. Now, they have to figure out how to accomplish that. Develin a restricted free agent and the Pats could tender him at the lowest level, which would be $1.6MM. That salary would make him the sixth-highest paid fullback in the NFL (as of this writing).
  • Dolphins center Mike Pouncey revealed that he recently underwent surgery, as Adam H. Beasley of the Miami Herald writes. Pouncey suffered what was believed to be a minor foot injury in the Dolphins’ Week 15 loss to the Chargers, but it’s not immediately clear if he went under the knife to fix that foot. That injury cost Pouncey the final two games of the ’15 season and kept him from playing in the Pro Bowl.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

East Notes: Cowboys, Wilkerson, Pouncey

December 23rd, 2015 at 11:20am CST by Luke Adams

The Cowboys‘ 2015 season was derailed by multiple collarbone injuries to quarterback Tony Romo, with the team struggling to win even a single game in his absence. According to Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (video link), there are members of the Cowboys organization who want to avoid risking that scenario again in 2016 by selecting a quarterback early in this year’s draft.

Drafting a quarterback early would give the club a more viable backup option in the short term, and would potentially provide a long-term replacement for Romo. However, Cole adds that owner Jerry Jones may be more inclined to use the team’s top-10 pick on a player at another position that could help the team return to contention immediately. Considering Jones said earlier this season that he thinks Romo still has four or five years left in him, that’s not a real surprise — I’m not sure I believe the 35-year-old can play that long, but if Jones believes it, there’s no reason he’d feel the need to draft Romo’s replacement yet.

Here are a few more items from around the NFL’s East divisions:

  • Noting that rumors of a potential contract extension have died down within the last few weeks, Darin Gantt of Pro Football Talk wonders if Jones’ comments this week about the Cowboys‘ disappointing pass rush indicate “some degree of buyer’s remorse” on Greg Hardy.
  • Muhammad Wilkerson has had a great season, and he’ll get paid at some point, but given the other talent they have on their defensive line, the Jets don’t necessarily be the team that gives him a long-term deal, according to Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News, who suggests once again that a tag-and-trade approach might work best for New York.
  • Center Mike Pouncey was the only Dolphin selected as a Pro Bowler on Tuesday night, and while it’s not clear yet whether he’ll be able to finish the season and play in the Pro Bowl, he at least won’t require surgery on his injured left foot. Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald tweets that Pouncey sprained his foot and ankle, and is currently wearing a boot on that foot.
  • Addressing a Tuesday report that suggested the Eagles were considering shutting down Bennie Logan for the season due to a calf injury, head coach Chip Kelly denied that, indicating that the defensive tackle is day to day (Twitter link).

Injury Updates: Gronk, Pouncey, Carrington

November 30th, 2015 at 12:19pm CST by Luke Adams

In the wake of the Patriots‘ first loss last night, initial reports indicated that Rob Gronkowski‘s knee injury may not be as serious as it initially looked, and recent reports have continued to suggest as much. According to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link), the New England tight end is unlikely to miss more than one game, and perhaps won’t even miss any time. Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports tweets that the club’s initial diagnosis is a “relatively minor non-ACL sprain.”

Still, the results of Gronkowski’s MRI aren’t in yet, so the Patriots won’t breathe easy until they get confirmation of their initial diagnosis. For now though, it looks like the club may have avoided a worst-case scenario for the star tight end, since his reaction to the hit on his knee had most of us expecting a season-ending injury.

Let’s round up a few more injury updates from across the NFL….

  • Another AFC East injury not as serious as initially feared? Mike Pouncey‘s foot ailment, according to Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald (Twitter link). Rapoport tweets that the Dolphins center has a minor foot sprain, and that it’s not believed to be a Lisfranc injury. Still, the Dolphins are expected to search for help at center, per Salguero, who tweets that Samson Satele “should probably pick up the phone.”
  • The Bills didn’t get good news on defensive end Alex Carrington, who tore his quad tendon and is undergoing season-ending surgery today, according to Rapoport (Twitter link). It’s the latest blow to a Buffalo defensive line that was already missing Kyle Williams – who is out for the year – and Mario Williams on Sunday.
  • Rapoport also provides an update on Ben Roethlisberger, tweeting that, while the Steelers quarterback placed himself in the concussion protocol, he may not have suffered a concussion on Sunday, and could be cleared for Week 13.
  • 49ers tight end Garrett Celek is out indefinitely due to a high ankle sprain, writes Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com. Celek, who has caught 19 balls for the team this year, went down with the injury in the first quarter of Sunday’s game against the Cardinals.
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