DAVIE, Fla. — Miami Dolphins defensive end William Hayes tore the ACL in his right knee on Sunday in an unusual way.
It happened while Hayes completed a huge third-down sack on Oakland Raiders quarterback Derek Carr, coach Adam Gase said.
“He was trying to not put body weight on the quarterback,” Gase said. “His foot got caught in the ground.”
According to the new NFL rule change, aa defender laying their body weight on a quarterback after a tackle or sack equals a a 15-yard roughing the passer penalty.
Gase was asked if he believes the rule change lead to Hayes’ torn ACL: “I’m just telling you what happened … I’m just telling you what he did.”
Hayes purposely tried to torque his body to avoid laying on Carr and immediately grabbed his right knee and rolled on the ground.
Hayes walked off the field in considerable pain with a heavy limp.
This is a big loss for the Dolphins, who counted on Hayes to be one of their top run stoppers and rotational edge rushers.
“It hurts. He’s one of our leaders,” Gase said. “That’s going to be a tough one to swallow.”
Charles Harris, the Dolphins’ 2017 first-round pick, will be asked to step into a bigger role with Hayes out.
Gase did confirm Monday that injuries to defensive end Andre Branch (knee), linebacker Chase Allen (foot) and tight end A.J. Derby (foot) are not expected to be season-ending.