DAVIE - A troublesome back injury has kept
Miami Dolphins rookie tight end Arthur Lynch from playing in the exhibition season.
Lynch, the Dolphins' first of two 2014 fifth-round pick, has been nursing his back injury since May.
Lynch has participated in practice on a limited basis for weeks, but hasn't been cleared to play in any preseason games. The injury, which limits his mobility, could land the former University of Georgia standout on injured reserve.
“It’s tougher, it’s tougher. Without a doubt, it’s tougher," coach
Joe Philbin said when asked about not being able to evaluate Lynch properly during training camp.
"You want to see our guys respond [in a game]. As I’ve said many times, we spend a lot of time removing ourselves [in practice] to the degree that we can as coaches, but when you’ve got 20 coaches out there on the field and the players are right there, it’s hard to keep your mouth shut," Philbin said. "In a game, it’s a lot easier for us to step back and let those guys see what they can do, and that’s an important part of the evaluation. [Playing games] is very, very important [to assess] the work ethic, the fundamental development and the team work. At the end of the day, we play games. You’ve got to figure out how guys play in games.”
