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With Pouncey Sidelined, Steen Is Next Man Up On Dolphins O-Line

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DAVIE (CBSMiami) – The Miami Dolphins got some less-than-exciting news on Sunday when it was revealed that Pro Bowl center Mike Pouncey would be shut down, likely for the remainder of the preseason.

Pouncey injured his left hip injury during Thursday's loss against the Dallas Cowboys.

It's not the same hip that he had surgery on earlier this year though.

It is the hip that he had surgery on back in 2014. For those not keeping count, that's two hip surgeries in two-plus years.

Pouncey maintains that his hip issues are not chronic, though the evidence suggests otherwise.

Hopes are that the Dolphins offensive line anchor will be ready for the regular season opener in Seattle on September 11t h, but head coach Adam Gase knows that his status won't really come into view for a couple weeks.

"We're still kind of feeling out what's going on," Gase said on Sunday. "We're working with the doctors and trying to make sure when he comes back, he's ready to go. Right now, he obviously won't be playing in the Atlanta game. We most likely won't see him the rest of the preseason. We need to keep evaluating as far as what's going on with him. There's going to be that constant communication of doctors, trainers, sports science, strength and conditioning. Like I said, we're going to be week-to-week right now, and we're trying to get him better as fast as possible."

Pouncey has not been made available to the media this week but he relayed some confidence to his fans in a message posted Monday morning on Instagram.

Whether or not Pouncey will be ready for the Seahawks game remains to be seen, but in the meantime someone has to fill his role on the starting offensive line.

Enter Anthony Steen, who signed onto the Dolphins practice squad last November.

He originally signed with the Arizona Cardinals as an undrafted free agent in 2014 but has yet to play an official down in an NFL regular season game.

Here's the interesting thing. Steen played guard in college. He played guard with the Cardinals. But when he signed with Miami, they told Steen that they envisioned him as more of a center than a guard.

"I kind of thought they were joking at first," Steen said. "They asked me if I could play center and I was like, 'I don't know.' When they started giving me reps, I thought it was just more [of them trying] to see what else I could do. I didn't actually think I would be playing center but it's a good thing."

Now here we are, less than a year later and Steen is getting reps as Miami's first team center.

He's been working hard at the position all year and wasn't surprised when he was bumped up to be Pouncey's backup earlier in training camp.

"[The coaching staff] felt comfortable with how I had been performing and they told me that I was going to be moved up," Steen said. "I didn't know when I got here that Mike [Pouncey] was going to be out for a week or whatever it is. When they told me, I just knew, 'Alright, I need to start studying some more and start looking at the ones and the next game and get prepared.'"

Gase offered up the same sentiment when asked what about Steen has caught his eye.

"The more we've all been around him, the more we've appreciated the way that he's played, the way that he goes to work," Gase said. "He doesn't say much. He gets after it every day. You never see him have a bad day because he comes out and he's got something to prove every day."

With the season opener just 20 short days away, the question now is whether Steen will be ready for the incredible responsibility of leading Miami's offensive line into a four quarter battle with one of the best teams in the league in perhaps the most intimidating stadium in North America.

"I think more of the mental aspect than anything," Steen said of possibly starting Week 1. "Trying to play four quarters and still be there mentally will be the toughest part. I think staying around after practice and getting [to the Dolphins training facility] earlier will be better."

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