Dolphins' Mike McDaniel confident Terron Armstead will return, unsure if it will be vs. 49ers

MIAMI GARDENS — The Dolphins hope they won’t have to face one of the best pass rushers in the NFL on Sunday without either of their starting offensive tackles.

Coach Mike McDaniel said Monday that the team is “gathering information” on both the pectoral injury suffered by left tackle Terron Armstead and the ankle injury suffered by right tackle Austin Jackson in the 30-15 victory over the Houston Texans.

With the Dolphins spending the next three weeks on the road, including Sunday’s game against the San Francisco 49ers and defensive end Nick Bosa, McDaniel was asked if he thought Armstead might play at some point during the road swing.

“I definitely wouldn’t put that past him,” McDaniel said.

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NFL Network reported Sunday night that Armstead’s injury was a strain rather than a torn muscle, which likely would have ended his season. With Armstead in, the line held the Texans at bay. Without him, Tua Tagovailoa was sacked four times.

Brandon Shell, who had been playing right tackle in Jackson’s absence, replaced Armstead on the left side for 39 snaps and presumably would line up against Bosa if Armstead cannot play Sunday. Greg Little replaced Jackson for the final six snaps.

Bosa has 11.5 sacks this season and already is on McDaniel’s mind, regardless of whether he has his No. 1 line available.

“If Nick Bosa has a pulse, you’re concerned,” McDaniel said. “If he walks past you in the parking lot, you’re concerned. He’s one of the better players in the entire NFL. You could easily argue — many people have and I think a lot of teams that have played him have — that he’s the best pass rusher in the NFL.”

The Dolphins are consulting with specialists regarding Armstead and Jackson. They want to let their injuries “settle a hair” before making any determinations.

But McDaniel said he’s confident Armstead will play again this season.

“He’s the consummate pro, so I would be really foolish to go ahead and stamp an exact timeline” on his return, McDaniel said. “You just never know. It might be right around the corner.”

The Houston game marked Jackson’s return after injuring his ankle in the opener.

“It was the same ankle,” McDaniel said. “It was not the same injury.”

Either way, McDaniel said he’s just as eager for answers as everyone.

“We’ll be hanging out down in the training room,” McDaniel said. “I’m going to put an office down there just so I can get my information quicker.”

Hal Habib covers the Dolphins for The Post. Help support our journalism. Subscribe today.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Dolphins' Terron Armstead, Austin Jackson uncertain for 49ers game