BY SEAN DONOVAN
The Miami Dolphins' offense was dealt a heavy blow on Saturday night, losing starting tight end Dustin Keller to an apparent serious knee injury in the team's 24-17 preseason loss to the Houston Texans.
The first-year Dolphin was injured and carted off the field in the second quarter after a defender hit him low from behind as he attempted to catch a pass.
Keller was scheduled to undergo an MRI to determine the extent of the injury, but it certainly appeared to be of the season-ending variety. As Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald reported Saturday night, "sources within the team are fearing the worst."
If true, the loss comes on a night when quarterback Ryan Tannehill and receiver Mike Wallace established a long-awaited connection in game action, hooking up three times for 58 yards and a touchdown.
Tannehill finished the night 10-of-15 for 141 yards and displayed a command of the first-team offense, leading two scoring drives.
That encouraging news was overshadowed by the loss of a player in Keller who seemed to already have a blossoming chemistry with Tannehill and figured to be a big part of the Dolphins offense.
"You hate to see any player in that situation," head coach Joe Philbin said after the game, via the Palm Beach Post. "We will have to see what happens [with Keller]. We'll adjust. We'll take a look at what we have and what our options might be."
Other standout performers in Saturday's game for Miami were Brent Grimes, who came away with an impressive interception off Matt Schaub on Houston's opening drive, and Daniel Thomas, who accrued 52 yards on five offensive touches.
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