Dolphins

Dolphins HC Mike McDaniel was pleasantly surprised with how much of an impact DB Rasul Douglas has made this season.

“I was very confident in his football play based on watching film,” McDaniel said, via Dolphins Wire. “I had no idea how much of an impact he could make as a Year 1 player on the team, and I see him as right in there with our nucleus of guys as a driving force in how we’re motivated each and every day we come to work. I think he was one of the more vocal players in reestablishing the standard with which we wanted to operate after the Cleveland game. He’s a gigantically, impactful football player as a value-added team guy, I just didn’t have any idea about the personality. I’ve seen him make plays on the ball and plays in the run game that I think he’s playing some of his best ball that he’s played. I knew he was a ball player, I just didn’t know how much he could aid in the team that we’re trying to create.”

Colts

• Colts QB Daniel Jones will have an interesting offseason coming up after tearing his Achilles. Jones could opt to return to Indianapolis on another one or two-year deal, per ESPN’s Dan Graziano. Graziano has also heard league sources speculate about Jones heading back to Minnesota on a short-term deal to provide the team an insurance policy behind QB J.J. McCarthy, should he fail to live up to expectations next season.
• However, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler is confident the injury won’t eliminate Jones’ chances of a long-term deal or returning to Indianapolis. After asking around, he also wouldn’t rule out the Colts still using the franchise tag as a last resort to ensure Jones doesn’t leave.
• However, he thinks both sides will be motivated to come up with something to give Jones some long-term security after his injury and to allow the Colts to keep a player they were thrilled with for half the season.
• Fowler adds his sense is the Colts will see how Jones’ rehab is progressing before making a call before March. He writes if the Colts think Jones can be a productive starter over the next three to four seasons, then they might not haggle over a market-rate deal now that will look solid in two years.

Patriots

Patriots WR Stefon Diggs said he’s been playing through a hip flexor strain and a contusion.

“I’m great. I had some pinching in my hip, like around my hip flexor and [expletive],” Diggs said, via Patriots Wire. “And then in the game, I got kneed in my hip. So it was my hip flexor, and then I had like a contusion. So my [expletive] was [expletive] up for like a week, for real. I was still playing. …It’s pretty much gone away now, but I’ve got a week off to do a little bit more strength stuff.”

• The Patriots...