BY DAN BEGNOCHE
For a team that would like nothing more than to get back to a fully functioning offensive line, it looks like the Miami Dolphins may have to wait half the season to get it.
One month ago, the leader of the team's line, center Mike Pouncey, underwent hip surgery to repair a torn labrum. Wednesday, a source told The Miami Herald that rehab could take up to four months, and Thursday, Pouncey was reportedly put on the PUP list to start training camp.
If Pouncey remains on PUP going into the regular season, he'll be required to miss the first six games of the season. Supposedly, that's the likely scenario.
“Eight weeks is probably what we’re looking at,” the source told Adam Beasley of the Herald.
That would be eight weeks from the official start of the season, meaning Pouncey would be back somewhere around the team's matchup in Jacksonville, which is set for Oct. 26. The team's bye week is scheduled for Week 5, so the 24-year-old will have missed seven weeks up to that point if he hasn't already returned.
Obviously, it's far to early to tell how his rehab will go. Only one month in, Pouncey has a number of hurdles to clear before he's get the OK to play, hurdles he may breeze over or struggle with. Either way, the Pro Bowler's absence will likely be very apparent when the team begins training camp at 8 a.m. Friday, especially since he was the only remaining starting lineman left from last year's squad.
