Ereck Flowers (ankle) headlines several absences from Dolphins practice

The Miami Dolphins will need all hands on deck ahead of the team’s matchup with the AFC juggernaut Kansas City Chiefs. Unfortunately, it appears several key contributors are starting off the week at less than full strength and may be in danger of missing Sunday’s contest.

Starting left guard Ereck Flowers (ankle), who’s been a steady presence and veteran leader on Miami’s offensive line this season, appears to be in line to miss his first game of the season. Flowers went down with a painful ankle injury during the team’s win over the Cincinnati Bengals and subsequently missed his first offensive snaps of the entire season while failing to return to the game. Per Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald, Flowers suffered a sprain that will likely keep him out for a couple of games, though it’s possible Flowers returns before the playoffs commence.

Linebackers Elandon Roberts (chest) and Kyle Van Noy (unknown) were also absent from Wednesday’s practice. Roberts suffered a chest injury during last Sunday’s victory and was seen wearing a sling on the sideline after returning from the locker room. As of the publishing of this article, it’s currently unclear how much time Roberts is slated to miss. Van Noy didn’t appear to suffer any major injuries during the Bengals game, but after his dominant performance that earned him AFC Defensive Player of the Week honors, it’s possible head coach Brian Flores is choosing to give one of Miami’s eldest players a veteran’s day off.

Per Salguero, running back Matt Breida (COVID-19), running back Slavon Ahmed (shoulder), and wide receiver Malcolm Perry (chest) were all missing from practice as well. Ahmed has missed two straight games with a shoulder injury but practiced in a limited fashion all of last week, meaning he’s nearing closer to a return. Perry got in limited practices before missing last week’s game as well and could return against the Chiefs. A return timeline for Breida is currently unclear, though he could be activated from the reserve/COVID-19 list at any time providing he passes through the league’s protocols.

This article was written by The Phinsider Staff Writer, Justin Hier. For more from Justin, follow him on Twitter @HierJustin.