When the Dolphins announced their initial 53-man roster, they moved second-year defensive tackle Kenneth Grant to injured reserve, including him as one of two players they were allowed to designate as able to return from IR later in the season. Because of this, we know that Grant will miss at least the first four games of the season, but according to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald, Grant may be out for even longer.

Per Jackson, new head coach Jeff Hafley “was noncommittal about whether (Grant) will be ready when eligible in Week 5.” The 13th overall pick last year, Grant suffered a leg injury in mid-August that made it clear he was going to be unavailable for the start of the season. Miami was hoping for a big Year 2 jump from the Michigan product after he was unable to carve out a big role as a rookie. Grant was rated by Pro Football Focus (subscription required) as the 102nd-best interior defender out of 121 players graded at the position last year. The extended absence to open the year will complicate any second-year improvements.

Here are a few other injury updates from around the AFC:

• The Jaguars also needed to utilize one of their designations to return from IR when setting their initial 53-man roster, and they did so with starting right guard Patrick Mekari. The undrafted lineman out of Cal underwent back surgery in the offseason, making it difficult for him to return in time for the start of the regular season. Unlike Grant, though, Mekari’s outlook appears to be much more optimistic, per Ryan O’Halloran of The Florida Times-Union. O’Halloran reported this week that Jaguars general manager James Gladstone expressed confidence that Mekari would “be an option soon after he is eligible to come off IR in Week 4.”
• The Patriots open up the NFL season this year with a Super Bowl rematch against the Seahawks next Wednesday, and according to Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk, they could be doing so without their leading rusher from 2025. Per Smith, second-year running back TreVeyon Henderson has been absent from practice since suffering an ankle injury in an August 24 practice. More information will be divulged once the team’s first official practice reports are released, but if their second-round pick from last year can’t play, the Patriots may need to elevate practice squad rushers Hassan Haskins or Lan Larison to back up Rhamondre Stevenson and Corey Kiner.
• According to ESPN’s Rich Cimini, Jets defensive end Joseph Ossai is “week-to-week” with a plantar fascia injury. Head coach Aaron Glenn described Ossai’s injury as “a full tear, not a partial,” noting advice from team doctors that a complete tear is better for rehabilitation and recovery purposes than a partial tear. A free agent addition for New York in the offseason, the former Bengal totaled five sacks in each of his past two seasons and is expected to factor into the pass rushing rotation behind Will McDonald IV and David Bailey.
• The Texans lost two depth bodies from their defensive line just before setting their active roster to start the season. Per Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2, defensive end Ali Gaye suffered a major knee injury in a joint practice with the Panthers near the end of August. Wilson reported that MRI scans confirmed that the “severity of (the) damage will require (a) long recovery time.” Additionally, defensive end Solomon Byrd suffered a high ankle sprain just a few days later, according to Wilson. Gaye was placed on season-ending IR when the 53-man roster was announced, but Byrd was waived with an injury designation. He was expected to be reverted to IR after clearing waivers, but no reversion occurred.