MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. -- Miami Dolphins left guard Kadyn Proctor will play in Sunday's game against the Detroit Lions, coach Jeff Hafley said, after clearing concussion protocol.
Proctor displayed concussion symptoms following the Dolphins' win over the New York Jets in Week 7 and subsequently missed their loss to the New England Patriots in Week 8. He returned to the practice field Wednesday and was a full participant in each of the team's practices this week.
Hafley told reporters that the rookie officially exited the league's return to participation protocol Friday, and he was cleared for Sunday's game.
His absence was felt last week, as the Dolphins struggled to run the ball against a stout New England defense. They averaged a season-low 1.74 yards before contact per rush attempt, down from 3.09 yards before contact in their six previous games with Proctor in the lineup.
Offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik said last week was "probably our first game" where the Dolphins' blocking kept them from better production in the run game, and commended fill-in starter Jarrett Kingston for bouncing back after a slow start to the game. Running back Ollie Gordon II was also complimentary of Kingston but said the team will "get back to being us" with Proctor back in the lineup.
"When Proctor's out there, you can feel his presence out there on most every play," Slowik said. "He's just a massive guy who can move, he displaces people. He's putting defensive tackles five, six yards down the field. He caps off at the end of plays. We throw the ball 10 yards down the field for a 30-yard explosive and next thing you know, Proctor's showing up on the screen and everyone's like 'Where'd he come from.' You know what I mean?
"He just gives everybody a lot of energy when he's out there, and that's not even including what you can do with him scheme-wise."
The 6-foot-7, 360-pound Proctor was the 13th overall pick in this year's draft, and the first player taken under first-year general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan. Despite playing left tackle at Alabama, Proctor has exclusively played left guard for the Dolphins this season, where he lines up next to 6-foot-7, 325-pound left tackle Patrick Paul.
The pairing has paid off in the run game; Miami averages 6.2 yards per rush on inside runs toward the left side of the field, including 3.87 yards before first contact -- good for third-most and second-most in the NFL, respectively. The Dolphins also lead the league with 23% of their carries to that side going for 10 or more yards.