With the Cardinals clash coming up on Sunday, the Dolphins may have to start their game without star receiver Tyreek Hill. As he remained limited in practice on Thursday due to a foot injury. And joining him on the injury report is Dolphins DT Zach Sieler, who suffered a fractured orbital bone in practice.

Well, the Dolphins are currently evaluating whether he would need surgery or the timeline of his absence from the gridiron. Based on those results, Sieler’s comeback could be predicted over the next few days. The Dolphins would surely miss his presence on the defensive side as Sieler started every game until week 7. Over those six games this season, Sieler racked up 18 tackles, two sacks, and one interception to his name.

Although he could be missed in Miami on Sunday, the eye injury he suffered can be considered nothing but bad luck for the Dolphins this week. As Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel explained, “It was a first in my football history.” His absence from the Dolphins lineup would be crazy, considering he hasn’t missed one game since joining the franchise from Ravens back in 2019.

Amid his absence, the Dolphins may have to elevate defensive tackle Neil Farrell Jr. from the practice squads. Elsewhere, the Dolphins might have to push their 38-year-old defensive tackle Calais Campbell to play more snaps on Sunday. Considering the age not being on his side, Campbell has only played more than 60 snaps twice this season.

Moving away from the defensive side of things in Miami, the Dolphins are also dealing with Tyreek Hill’s untimely injury before Tua Tagovailoa’s comeback this week. Tyreek Hill, who hasn’t had the greatest of seasons, has suffered badly without his star quarterback throwing from center. Over the six games he has played this season, the Cheetah has only racked up 24 catches for 294 yards and a single TD by his name.

So he was visibly excited to have Tua back starting in Miami, “Just having Tua back. He’s a big part of the team. He’s the franchise, dawg. And anybody that doesn’t see that or doesn’t believe it, like go to another team. I care less right now, man. I miss the dude, bro.” On Monday, it was for the first time in 42 days that Tua Tagovailoa returned to the Phins practice since his concussion in week 2.

Tua Tagovailoa returns to the Dolphins lineup

While the whole NFL prayed for his recovery after clashing with Bills’ safety Damar Hamlin, Tagovailoa defied all logic as he came back after spending five weeks in injury reserves. Without Tua’s presence, the Dolphins lost 3 games while winning one against the measly Patriots in week 5. As the Dolphins added him to injury reserves, they didn’t want Tua to rush back into the field.

Although he didn’t like the decision, the Dolphins QB did appreciate the concern. “What I do know is that I think the team did what was best in the interest of me. Knowing that I’m a competitor, and given what the doctors have told me that having a substantial amount of time to rest and recover would have been good for me. I think they did what was best in terms of protecting myself from myself.” And it wasn’t the only thing that the 26-year-old addressed as he spoke about the horrors besides getting concussed.

“Well, how much risk do we take when we get up in the morning to go drive to work? Get into a car crash, I don’t know. Every time we all suit up, we’re all taking a risk that we could potentially get hurt, whether it’s a concussion, a broken bone, anything.” Given his take on injuries, the Dolphins QB clearly shows a passion for fighting anything that comes his way. As he prepares for his much-awaited return in Miami on Sunday, will the Dolphins be able to get back into the winning column? Well, we will find out soon as Tua puts retirement rumors in bed, citing his imminent return from a concussion this week.