Miami Dolphins RB Daniel Thomas sustained a concussion in the team's Week 5 win over the Cincinnati Bengals, and he could miss Sunday's match-up against the St. Louis Rams as a result.
The Miami Herald reported that Thomas was not cleared for practice Wednesday, so he spent the morning on the sidelines at the team's training facility in Davie. Thomas will be reevaluated later this week to determine whether he can return to the field in time for Sunday.
Under NFL rules, players who sustain a concussion must pass a neurological examination and neuropsychological testing administered by the team physician and an independent neurological consultant. The rule was put in place in 2011.
This is the second concussion Thomas has suffered this season, the first coming in Week 1. Thomas sat out the Dolphins' game against the Oakland Raiders the next week. The Dolphins will not release an injury report for the Rams game until Friday, but Thomas' status for that game is doubtful.
Rookie RB (and former Miami Hurricane) Lamar Miller took second-team RB snaps in Thomas' place Wednesday. Through the first five games of the season, Miller has rushed for more yards than Thomas (126 to 113) and is averaging more yards per carry (5.5 to 3.1). So missing Thomas might not be the end of the world for the Dolphins.
Thomas is not the only running back who has dealt with injuries this season. Starter Reggie Bush left the team's Week 3 game against the Jets with a knee injury, and he was clearly slowed down by the injury the next week against Arizona.
But Bush seems to be back to normal, judging from the Cincinnati game. He only rushed for 48 yards on 20 carries, but pulled off a 13-yard touchdown run in the third quarter.
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Besides Thomas, starting CB Richard Marshall also sat out practice Wednesday. He missed the Cincinnati game with a back injury, and has not practiced for two weeks. Nolan Carroll started in his place Sunday, and he would get the nod should Marshall still be on the shelf this weekend. Carroll recorded four tackles and defended one pass against the Bengals.
