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Miami Dolphins CB Kendall Fuller to miss time with concussion
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Miami Dolphins CB Kendall Fuller to miss time with concussion

The Miami Dolphins will be without starting cornerback Kendall Fuller when they face the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday and perhaps beyond this game.

Head coach Mike McDaniel said Tuesday he “pretty much” could rule out Fuller after the veteran acquired as a free agent suffered his second concussion in seven weeks during the 23-15 win over the Los Rams Angeles, Monday evening.

“I don’t really have a timetable beyond that, since it was a Monday night game, I can pretty much rule it out for that game,” McDaniel said. “Beyond that, we’re just going to support him where he’s at and get more information here in Miami.”

McDaniel said Fuller returned to Miami with his teammates after the Rams game, which is a good sign.

What’s not encouraging is that Fuller also suffered a concussion in the Seattle Seahawks’ Week 3 loss.

Although all concussions are different and recovery time varies, having two concussions in fairly close proximity is always problematic.

That means it wouldn’t be surprising if Fuller was out for several weeks or even placed on injured reserve.

Second-year player Cam Smith replaced Fuller at outside cornerback opposite Jalen Ramsey (with Kader Kohou in the slot) against the Rams, and he would seem to be the logical candidate to start against the Raiders.

However, Smith’s performance in the three games since he was activated from injured reserve has been inconsistent at best, especially according to analytics from Pro Football Focus (PFF).

In those three games, PFF allowed Smith to give up 13 catches on 15 targets against him for 139 yards and a passer rating of 127.5.

It’s not the kind of performance that will help the defense build on its strong showing in Monday night’s 23-15 win over the Los Angeles Rams.

The problem is the Dolphins don’t have another proven option at cornerback.

Moving Kohou to the outside and regularly using three safeties – Jordan Poyer, Jevon Holland and Marcus Maye – is an option. Still, Kohou is clearly a more effective player in the slot.

Beyond Smith, the other cornerbacks on the active roster are rookie free agents Storm Duck, Ethan Bonner and Siran Neal.

Neal has the most experience, but he’s more of a special teams ace than a defensive back. On the only snap he played on defense against the Rams after Kohou was temporarily sidelined after banging his knees, Neal allowed a 21-yard coverage covering Puka Nacua.

Duck was the player who received the call against the Tennessee Titans when Fuller was sidelined due to his first concussion, but he remained inactive against the Rams despite being removed from the report. injury late in the week after missing the previous week with an ankle injury.

If Fuller were to be out for an extended period of time, the Dolphins could look outside the organization for veteran help. Of course, the only player jumping here is Xavien Howard.

If the Dolphins wanted to go the veteran route, the question would be whether the two sides would be willing to come together after the team released the four-time Pro Bowl cornerback during the offseason.