More than five months after local reports said Dolphins defensive end Phillip Merling was out for the year with an Achilles injury, the third-year player is back on the Dolphins active roster. The team activated him from the non-football injury list.
It remains to be seen if Merling is ready to play on Sundays, but the team waived quarterback Patrick Ramsey to make room for him. Merling first suffered the injury while jogging. Ideally, he’d add depth to a depleted defensive line.
It’s been a good couple of weeks for Merling: Assault charges against him were recently dropped.
Given up for dead after getting a shutout at home by the Bears, you can almost see the Dolphins as a playoff contender if you squint hard enough. They have six wins, with home games against the Browns, Lions, and Bills still to come.
Unfortunately for Miami, they also have division road tests in New York and Foxborough.
