Three injured Dolphins defenders returned to practice Thursday

After sitting out Wednesday, the Miami Dolphins linebackers Joey Porter and Akin Ayodele and defensive end Phillip Merling retured to practice Thursday, with all of the three wearing protective pads.

Porter had been sitting out for nearly two weeks and missed last Sunday’s win over the Buffalo Bills with a sore right hamstring, Merling left field in the fourth quarter of the same game for hurting his left ankle, and Ayodele had been sidelined with a sore back. The three joined team practice in preparation for the game against the New York Jets on next Monday night.

“Whenever you’re hurt, you realize how much you really miss the game,” Porter said after the practice. “To go out there to run around with the guys and put my pads back on definitely feels better than it did sitting on the sideline watching.”

It seemed that the three injured defenders were eager to return to field. Although they were limited in the practice, they still did a good amount of work.