Isa Abdul-Quddus jumped on to the scene in his first season with the Miami Dolphins, starting all 15 games in which he appeared in 2016. He responded by putting up 77 tackles, two interceptions and five passes defended.
Unfortunately for both the Fordham product and his team, there’s a chance Abdul-Quddus could miss the entire 2017 season with a neck injury.
“The Dolphins are preparing for the possibility that they might need to play next season without safety Isa Abdul-Quddus, according to multiple industry sources,” the Miami Herald‘s Barry Jackson reported on Thursday.
Abdul-Quddas suffered the injury to his shoulder and neck area in a Week 16 win over the Buffalo Bills. He was immediately placed on season-ending injured reserve.
While the Dolphins are hopeful their starting strong safety will be able to return next season, they are sifting through contingency plans as free agency gets going.
Abdul-Quddus signed a three-year deal with Miami last season after spending his first five seasons with the New Orleans Saints and Detroit Lions. Pro Football Focus graded him out as one of the top-10 strong safeties in the NFL this past year.