New England will be without both of its starting safeties on in NFL Week 5.
The New England Patriots defense will be shorthanded in Week 5, missing both starting safeties against the Miami Dolphins. After already ruling out Jabrill Peppers on Saturday, Kyle Dugger also was put on the inactives list 90 minutes before kickoff on Sunday.
Dugger hurt his ankle last week versus the San Francisco 49ers and was trending toward inactivity after not participating in practice leading up to the Dolphins game. With both him and Peppers, who is dealing with a shoulder issue, unavailable, New England will turn to its backup safeties: Jaylinn Hawkins is the next man up, while recently-activated Marte Mapu, undrafted rookie Dell Pettus and career special teamer Brenden Schooler might also factor into the mix.
The rest of the Patriots’ inactives look as follows:
Patriots inactives
- WR Javon Baker
- TE Jaheim Bell
- S Kyle Dugger
- DE Jamree Kromah
- QB Joe Milton III (emergency QB)
- WR K.J. Osborn
- S Jabrill Peppers
Of the Patriots’ seven inactives, three carried an injury designation into the weekend. Besides Dugger and Peppers, K.J. Osborn also was ruled out; a shoulder ailment is forcing him out of the game against Miami.
The four other inactives, meanwhile, are all healthy scratches.
The flip side of that is nine questionable players being cleared for action in time. Offensive linemen Vederian Lowe (knee), Michael Jordan (ankle), Nick Leverett (ankle) and Layden Robinson (ankle, wrist) are among that group, as are edge defender Anfernee Jennings (shoulder) and cornerbacks Jonathan Jones (shoulder) and Marcus Jones (groin).
In addition to those seven, wide receiver Kendrick Bourne (knee) and safety/linebacker Marte Mapu (calf) were activated from the PUP and injured reserve lists, respectively. Both were labeled questionable on Friday as well.
Dolphins inactives
- CB Ethan Bonner
- LB Mohamed Kamara
- OL Andrew Meyer
- S Jordan Poyer
- QB Skylar Thompson
- LB Channing Tindall
- RB Jeff Wilson Jr.
The Dolphins’ inactives list includes two noteworthy names. Safety Jordan Poyer was already ruled out for the game due to a shin issue, while the only other player on the injury report — QB Skylar Thompson (ribs) — also will not suit up on Sunday; with Tua Tagovailoa on injured reserve that means that third-string quarterback Tyler Huntley will again draw the start.
Kickoff between the Patriots and Dolphins at Gillette Stadium is set for 1 p.m. ET. New England is entering the game as 1.5-point home underdogs, according to the latest odds provided by FanDuel.