Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa will have his No. 1 receiver for first career start vs. Rams

Tua Tagovailoa will have his top wide receiver when he makes his first career start Sunday for the Miami Dolphins.

Brian Flores expects DeVante Parker to play this weekend when the Dolphins host the Los Angeles Rams at Hard Rock Stadium after he left the Dolphins’ last game in the second half with a groin injury. The coach also expects two defensive starters to be in the lineup at Hard Rock Stadium.

“You never really know until we get to the game,” Flores said of Parker. “We’re running game speed in practice full today, so we expect him to play.”

Parker was limited in practice Wednesday and Thursday in Davie after injuring his groin in Miami’s 24-0 win against the New York Jets on Oct. 18, but the star wide receiver took part in a full-speed practice Friday to clear the way for him to play against the Rams. Parker leads the team with 29 catches and 364 receiving yards to go along with two touchdowns, although various injuries have hampered him throughout the season.

Linebacker Kyle Van Noy and safety Bobby McCain were also full participants in practice Friday, and Flores expects both to play against Los Angeles. McCain has been dealing with an ankle injury this week, while Van Noy missed the Jets game because of groin and foot injuries.

Tight end Adam Shaheen, who has touchdowns in each of the Dolphins’ last two games and signed a two-year extension Wednesday, was limited once again Friday, so he is questionable. Cornerback Jamal Perry is out because of a foot injury.

“His role is generally the slot on defense,” safety Eric Rowe said. “You saw in the Seattle game when Bobby went down — the backup free safety. He’s pretty versatile. He can go outside if you need him to.”

Wide receivers Jakeem Grant and Lynn Bowden Jr. both returned to practice Friday at the Miami Dolphins training facility after missing the Thursday session. Grant was dealing with an illness, while Bowden missed practice because of the birth of his daughter.

Noah Igbinoghene’s role

Noah Igbinoghene’s role has dwindled since fellow cornerback Byron Jones returned from an injury earlier this month. The rookie played every defensive snap in a win against the Jacksonville Jaguars last month and a loss to the Seattle Seahawks on Oct. 4, then played fewer than 20 percent of Miami’s defensive snaps in each of the last two games following Jones’ return.

Perry’s absence means there’s a little bit more room for playing time in the secondary, although the two have played different positions this year. The Dolphins have almost exclusively used Igbinoghene as an outside cornerback, while Perry mostly plays the slot. With Perry out, cornerback Nik Needham will take on even more snaps in the slot, but Flores said he is happy with how Igbinoghene has been practicing.

“Noah’s practiced well. He really has. He’s prepared well, he’s practiced well,” Flores said. “He’s prepared himself to play, as he does every week, as he should every week, as everyone should every week. As we all know, in this league guys get injured, things happen, so we try to stress that on a weekly basis that everyone’s got to be ready to go. That’s Noah, that’s all our backup or second-team type players. We try to stress that there are no backups and everyone can be in there for an extended period of time, so they all have to prepare.”