Head coach Mike McDaniel announced on Tuesday that not only was superstar WR Tyreek Hill day-to-day as he deals with an ankle injury that forced him out of Monday night's game more than once, but that they'd also lost starting center Connor Williams for the year with a torn ACL, per NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. Dolphins going down at the worst possible time Miami could be without two key players, Tyreek Hill and Connor Williams, in Week 15 Tyreek Hill was dealing with his ankle issue for nearly the entire game. He picked it up in the first quarter when he was tackled out of bounds awkwardly. He slowly made his way across the field to the Miami bench, eventually jogging the final portion after the Miami faithful serenaded him with "MVP" chants. Hill didn't come back into the game until midway through the third quarter and would finish the loss with four catches for 60 yards, playing just 47 percent of the team's offensive snaps, his second-lowest total of the season. Hill made the decision to return after receiving encouragement from his wife via text: Then I just made up in my mind, I came in at halftime, I texted my wife, I was like, 'This s--- hurt.' I need an ankle massage tonight, and she's like, 'You'd better get your *** back in that game, dawg.' I was like, 'All right.' So I just made up my mind that it's going to hurt. It's going to suck. Tonight and tomorrow morning. Day-to-day is an encouraging designation from McDaniel, however, as Hill could very well be ready to roll again by Week 15. It was clear that the Dolphins couldn't move the ball the same way without the threat of Hill's inhuman speed, so they really need him to make a speedy recovery. However, another absence may have been equally as responsible for the poor offensive output. Their starting center Connor Williams was rolled up on by a Tennessee Titans defender early in the game. He was taken to the locker room, ruled out before halftime, and seen back on the sideline later in the game sporting a knee brace. PFF Category RATING NFL Rank Offense 86.5 1st Run Blocking 90.5 2nd Pass Blocking 71.7 15th The initial fears of a torn ACL were confirmed on Tuesday by McDaniel, and Williams will be done for the year. The six-year veteran had been having an elite season prior to the injury, leading all centers in PFF's offensive grade. Williams had been a pillar of the interior of the line, starting 26 of the team's last 30 games. Swing lineman Liam Eichenberg will step in and take over the starting spot, but it remains to be seen if he can match Williams' consistency, especially as a mauler in the running game.
Why there isn’t a true center on this roster is beyond me. How many botched snaps and pass rushers coming up the middle do they need to see?
Eichenberg held his own earlier in the season when Williams was out. All we can do is hope for the best.
It's because they value mobility at centre over everything else. They need a centre who is mobile enough to get out the 2nd level and cut off LB's on those stretch plays. It's why they love Williams an put up with his bad snaps as the rest of his game outweighs those snaps. The offence has been terrible when Connor is out as Liam can't anchor like him and isn't as athletic as him. The interior gets collapsed too easy, the Jets game isn't going to be pretty.
