The Dolphins have made a number of moves ahead of their Monday night matchup. Right tackle Austin Jackson has been moved to injured reserve, while wideout River Cracraft has been activated.
Jackson will be out for at least the next four games as a result of Monday’s move. He has served as Miami’s starter at the right tackle spot all year, continuing his run of starting all but two of his career appearances with the Dolphins.
The former first-rounder has seen more success on the right side than the left (where he began his NFL tenure), and his absence will be felt up front. Kendall Lamm will replace Jackson in the starting lineup.
Last December, Jackson agreed to a three-year, $36M extension which cemented his status as a key member of Miami’s offensive line. The 25-year-old drew underwhelming PFF grades during each of his first three seasons, but the 2023 campaign resulted in his best evaluation to date in both pass protection and run blocking.
Jackson’s overall mark of 60 this year is a step back, but he will still be missed as the Dolphins look to remain as strong up front as possible after Tua Tagovailoa‘s latest concussion.
Cracraft was among the many players around the league who were placed on IR during roster cutdowns while being designated for return in the process. As a result, his activation (in terms of the Dolphins’ limit of eight for the year) has already been accounted for.
As Miami moves forward with five such activations available, the team will welcome Cracraft into the fold for his season debut. The 30-year-old is set to reprise a depth role on offense, although with Tyreek Hill questionable for Monday, he could see a notable workload against the Rams.
Miami has also signed defensive tackle Neil Farrell to the active roster. The 26-year-old made nine appearances with the Raiders in 2022, followed by a pair of games with the Chiefs. He has been used as a gameday elevation twice so far by the Dolphins, so that would have been an option once more before a deal on the active roster would have become necessary.
Instead, Farrell has now been promoted from the practice squad, setting him up to serve in a rotational role along the defensive front.
