Miami Dolphins wideout placed on injured reserve

The Miami Dolphins have placed wide receiver Allen Hurns on injured reserve. NFL Network’s Cameron Wolfe reported on Monday that the receiver was set to undergo surgery to repair a wrist injury. The procedure is expected to keep Hurns out of the lineup for approximately three months.

Less than 24 hours later, Hurns has been placed on IR. Set to enter his second-season with the Dolphins, he was going to be a key part of the offense led by second-year quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. Hurns sat out last season due to family concerns and the COVID-19 pandemic.

Since Hurns has been placed on IR before the season, he cannot return unless the team reaches an injury settlement to release him. Only players on the 53-man roster after Sept. 1 are eligible to be taken off.

What this means for the Dolphins

Placing Allen Hurns on IR for his wrist injury adds to the Dolphins’ depth problems at wide receiver. Fellow wide receivers DeVante Parker and Will Fuller are also dealing with injuries which could cause them to miss time.

“We are going to get those guys back as soon as we can. We have two preseason games left and then there’s two week. We have time to get timing together,” Dolphins coach Brian Flores said.

Fuller injured his foot during the second day of training camp. He signed a one year, $10.6 million contract with the Dolphins in March after five years in Houston.

Parker, who has been with the Dolphins since they selected him in the first round of the 2015 NFL Draft, was removed from the Physically Unable to Perform list on Aug. 2 after missing the first week of camp due to a soft-tissue injury. He has been participating in practice.

“Only time can tell, whenever those guys are available and get back in action; it just takes practice. Practice to get communication and chemistry with one another,” Tagovailoa said.

What Allen Hurns brought to wide receiver unit

An undrafted free agent coming out of Miami in 2014, he was signed by the Jacksonville Jaguars to a three-year deal. And in September 2014, he became the first rookie wide receiver to start a season opener for the Jaguars.

He spent four seasons in Jacksonville; his peers ranked him 89th on the NFL top-100 players of 2016. After being released by the Jaguars in March 2018, he signed a two-year deal with the Cowboys. A lower left leg injury in January 2019 resulted in him being cut.

Hurns got a homecoming in 2019 when he signed a one-year deal with the Dolphins. In six seasons in the NFL, he has 241 receptions for 3,380 yards and 25 career touchdowns. His best season came in 2015 when he had 64 catches and 10 touchdowns, while also hitting the 1000-yard mark with 1,031 receiving yards.