The smooth-sailing Dolphins preseason crashed into the rocky regular-season coastline Wednesday.
MarQueis Gray, the Dolphins’ starting tight end, tore his Achilles tendon during a non-contact drill — messing with Miami’s game plan for Sunday’s season opener, and just as importantly, providing an emotional kick to the gut to a team that had been in great spirits.
“That’salways tough when it’s something serious to a guy who’s so beloved in this locker room,” said rookie Durham Smythe, who viewed Gray as a mentor.
“It sucks to come back because of that,” said tight end Gavin Escobar, who re-signed with the Dolphins Thursday — less than a week after they cut him to get their roster down to 53 players.