- Joe Schad of the Palm Post reports that Miami Dolphins DE William Hayes could miss extensive time due to a back injury. Hayes was able to finish his team’s Week 11 game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but afterward, he told reporters he didn’t feel right. With just six games left, Hayes could reportedly miss the rest of the 2017 season. The team will know more about the injury next week.
- Acquired by the Dolphins in an offseason trade with the Los Angeles Rams, Hayes made an immediate impact in his first year with the team. Through 11 weeks, Hayes played 42.7 percent of the Dolphins’ defensive snaps and his PFF overall grade of 85.6 ranks 14th of 112 qualifying edge defenders.
- A big reason for this is his dominance against the run this year. In 10 games, Hayes has played a total of 137 run-defense snaps and has tallied 16 run stops, for a run-stop percentage of 11.7 percent, good for third among the league’s edge defenders. This has been highlighted by his elite run-defense grade of 90.5, which ranks fourth among players at the position.
- However, Hayes has not just been productive against the run. After 10 games, Hayes has also tallied one sack, four hits, and 12 quarterback hurries on 122 pass-rushing snaps, for a pass-rush productivity of 10.7, good for 16th among 63 4-3 defensive ends with at least 100 pass-rushing snaps. If Hayes is indeed lost for the remainder of the season, the team will certainly miss the production he’s brought to the Dolphins defense.
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