Dolphins’ McDaniel updates status of Achane, Hunt, others

Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel offered generally good news on the team’s injury-plagued offensive line on Wednesday.

He said he’s optimistic that right tackle Austin Jackson (oblique injury) and left guard Lester Cotton (hip injury) will play on Friday at the Jets (3 p.m., Amazon/CBS-4). Both popped up on Tuesday’s injury report.

He said he’s optimistic that right guard Robert Hunt will dress for Friday’s game after missing two games with a hamstring injury. But he isn’t certain if Hunt will play. Hunt said he will test his injury during Wednesday’s practice, the most vigorous practice of this short week.

Robert Jones (knee) returned to practice on Wednesday. Isaiah Wynn, on injured reserve, has a long-term quadriceps injury.

As for running back De’Von Achane, McDaniel indicated his status remains in question for Friday. McDaniel said that Achane wants to play.

Achane, who left the Raiders game early with a knee injury after missing four games with a knee injury, would have been a limited participant if the team had practiced Tuesday.

“Today is a big day for him,” McDaniel said before Wednesday’s practice. “He’s going to want to play and it’s not really a preventative decision on how much he can sustain and worry about further injury.

“It’s more consequences of someone you go to a game on an active roster that’s very limited [in practice] and unable to fulfill [his full game-day] duty. There’s a consequence on the team. I need to make sure where [his] confidence level is at” with the injury.

So at running back on Friday, the Dolphins will have Raheem Mostert and Jeff Wilson Jr. and either Achane or perhaps practice squad running back Darrynton Evans.

McDaniel has said that rookie running back Chris Brooks (ankle) could return from injured reserve in the coming weeks. Salvon Ahmed (foot) is expected to miss the remainder of the season.

Receiver Chase Claypool, coming off knee surgery, has been limited in practice this week.

Receiver Braxton Berrios is back after missing a game with a hamstring injury; he would have been able to practice fully on Tuesday.

Tight end Durham Smythe returned to practice on Wednesday.

▪ McDaniel said he didn’t watch Tuesday’s first episode of Hard Knocks because he was asleep. He received no negative feedback.

“I haven’t got any ‘fix this’ conversation,” he said.

Told he was a star on the show, he said: “The idea of me being the star of a show -- I reject that to the enth degree, because that’s not ‘team.’”