Dolphins facing 49ers without team’s top pass rusher

The Miami Dolphins will be forced to play the San Francisco 49ers without the team’s top pass rusher because of a concussion Chop Robinson sustained during Wednesday’s practice.

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Robinson, who has sustained three concussions in calendar year, is in the early stages of the NFL’s concussion protocol program.

His concussion symptoms would have to subside before he’s allowed to participate in football-related drills. Then Robinson would need to participate in a practice without contact, then one with contact without experiencing symptoms to gain clearance for game day.

That hasn’t happened, which means the Dolphins will be forced to play without the team’s 2024 first-round pick, who had a strong training camp, but only contributed one tackle in Miami’s 27-13 season-opening loss to the Las Vegas Raiders.

“He is doing well,” coach Jeff Hafley said about Robinson, who has contributed 48 tackles, 10 sacks and forced one fumble in the 33 NFL games he has played the past three seasons.

Josh Uche, a seven-year veteran who has started four of the 77 games he’s played, is expected fill Robinson’s role as Miami’s primary pass rusher.

Zeek Biggers has worked as a six-technique defensive end, primarily playing on obvious running downs.

“He’s really good in run situations and gives us a big body out there who can set the edge, play six-technique, reduce down further inside. He gives us a lot of options,” Hafley said when asked about Biggers, a 2025 seventh-round pick. “But at the same time we need him inside. You can’t be at two places at once.”

Because of the foot injury Kenneth Grant, the Dolphins’ 2025 first-round pick, sustained in the preseason Miami only has Zach Sieler, Biggers, Jordan Phillips and Keith Cooper Jr. to play on the inside of the defensive front.

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Miami could address that deficiency by elevating Mazi Smith, a former first-round pick, or Jordan Miller up from the practice squad.

Malik Herring, a newcomer the Dolphins signed two weeks ago, and Robert Beal Jr., a fourth-year veteran who hasn’t made an NFL start in the 26 games he has played, are the only edge rusher options available on Miami’s 53-man roster.

NFL veteran Clelin Ferrell, Rodney McGraw, Amari Gainer, and Max Llewellyn, a rookie, are four edge rushers on the practice squad. The Dolphins called Ferrell up to the game day roster last week and used him on defense. Miami could take the same approach on Sunday.

“The one thing you appreciate about him is that when you turn on the tape he gives phenomenal effort. He runs to the ball and plays with great energy,” Hafley said when asked about Ferrell, a 2019 first-round pick, who has started 57 games in eight seasons. “He has become a really good teammate, so I’m excited for his opportunity.”

If Ferrell is elevated, or signed to the 53-man roster and plays against the 49ers on Sunday, he will be going against the team he contributed 24 tackles and four sacks for last season in his 233 defensive snaps.

NFL teams only have two practice squad elevations for each game, and it’s highly likely that one will be used on new long snapper Cal Adomitis, who was signed on Wednesday to the practice squad, likely to address the shoulder injury Tucker Addington sustained against the Raiders.

The Dolphins allowed the Raiders to produce 130 rushing yards on 37 attempts, and early in the fourth quarter, before Las Vegas began running the ball to kill the game clock, the Raiders averaged 5.1 yards per carry.

“I felt like we kind of tiptoed a little bit, especially early in the game. I think they got more comfortable as the game went on,” defensive coordinator Sean Duggan said when addressing his unit’s defensive front. “What I want to see if guys be confident, and cut it loose a little bit, but [stay] within the realm of our defense, and have great fundamentals.”

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This story was originally published September 18, 2026 at 2:37 PM.