Miami Dolphins head coach Joe Philbin has announced that the team is placing linebacker Dannell Ellerbe on the injured reserve, as the hip injury he suffered in yesterday’s opener against the New England Patriots is more severe than once thought. It will be interesting to see how long fellow LB Koa Misi is out, because he suffered a nasty-looking ankle injury yesterday that could end up being a high-ankle sprain.
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Dolphins defensive coordinator Kevin Coyle stated that Ellerbe would likely be placed on the injured reserve outright instead of with a designation for return, and Ellerbe has indeed hit the “real” IR rather than the short-term version. It’s a tough blow to the Dolphins linebackers corps, as they were hoping to receive some production out of the former Baltimore Ravens LB, who has plenty of talent but didn’t show any of it in a putrid first season with the ‘Fins.
Per Philbin, the Dolphins are signing veteran inside linebacker Kelvin Sheppard to take Ellerbe’s place on the active roster, and hopefully Sheppard doesn’t see too much of the field. He’s an experienced backup, but he’s definitely a veteran backup-type player. Sheppard is just 26 and has had some nice production in the past, so he can provide some nice stops in run defense here and there.