The Miami Dolphins look like they might have a tight end problem in Week 8.
On the day they placed veteran Darren Waller on injured reserve, the team also was missing Julian Hill from practice as the result of the ankle injury he sustained in the second half of the 31-6 loss against the Cleveland Browns at Huntington Bank Field.
After signing Greg Dulcich from the practice squad, the Dolphins now have three tight ends on the active roster, but Hill is the one blocking specialist in the group.
Should Hill’s ankle injury prevent him from playing against the Atlanta Falcons at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Sunday, it’s likely the Dolphins would elevate either second-year player Hayden Rucci or newly signed veteran Chris Myarick to flush out the tight end spot.
Besides Hill’s absence, the biggest development at practice Wednesday was the return of rookie cornerback Jason Marshall Jr.
The fifth-round pick from Florida was designated to return and practiced on a limited basis.
He becomes the third IR designation out of the maximum eight for the Dolphins, who used it on both cornerback Ethan Bonner and kicker Jason Sanders at the time of the cuts to 53. Bonner has been back for a few weeks now, but Sanders remains on IR because of his hip injury.
The Dolphins likely will use two other designations on guard James Daniels and tackle Austin Jackson, who have been on IR since being injured in the season-opening loss against the Indianapolis Colts.
Hill was one of the two players on the 53-man who didn’t practice for the Dolphins on Wednesday, along with defensive back Elijah Campbell, who has missed the past two games because of a quad injury.
Center Aaron Brewer (pectoral) continues to be limited in practice, and rookie safety Dante Trader Jr. also was limited because of a shoulder issue.
CB Storm Duck, who hasn’t played since Week 1, continues to practice fully despite still being listed with an ankle injury.
Rookie first-round pick Kenneth Grant showed up on the injury report for the first time with a foot issue, though he was a full participant.
Lastly, QB Tua Tagovailoa remains on the injury report with a left thumb issue, but remains a full participant.
The Falcons conducted a walk-through in the aftermath of their Sunday night game against the San Francisco 49ers in California, so their injury report was based on an estimation.
The Falcons listed three players as DNP (did not practice), including starting linebacker Divine Deablo, who is expected to miss a few weeks because of a broken forearm he sustained in the 20-10 loss against the 49ers.
The other two DNPs were CB Billy Bowman Jr. (hamstring) and rookie first-round pick Jalon Walker (groin), who both were inactive for the 49ers game..
Quarterback Michael Penix Jr., who is dealing with a bone bruise on a knee, was among the six players listed/estimated as limited participants, along with starting tackle Jake Matthews (ankle).
The others were RB Tyler Allgeier (hip/knee), CB Mike Ford Jr. (calf), DL Zach Harrison (knee) and WR Darnell Mooney (hamstring).
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