The neck injury Miami Dolphins starting center Mike Pouncey suffered in Sunday’s loss to the New York Giants didn’t cause significant damage.

According to a league source, the MRI Pouncey underwent on Monday didn’t show cause for alarm.

However, his status for Sunday’s game against Kansas City won’t be determined until later this week. If Pouncey can’t play Nate Garner or Ryan Cook would fill-in.

Pouncey suffered the injury while blocking on a running play for Reggie Bush during Sunday’s 20-17 loss to the Giants.

He left the game in the second half after taking a blow to the head.

“I couldn’t feel my legs,” Pouncey said after the game. “I’m all right now. It’s my arms that are tingling. It was more scary than anything. I never had that happen in my life.”

Pouncey collided with Giants defensive end Osi Umenyiora and looked dazed as he slowly left the field. The team announced that Pouncey suffered a neck injury, but Pouncey didn’t have any lingering effects after the game.

Pouncey, a former University of Florida standout the Dolphins selected in the first round of the 2011 draft, was initially replaced by Garner, who was starting at left guard because of Richie Incognito’s knee injury. John Jerry filled in for Garner as the left guard in the final offensive plays of the third quarter.

But Cook eventually replaced Garner at center, and played 14 snaps in the fourth quarter.

Garner returned to left guard in the fourth quarter, which featured the Dolphins giving up four sacks to the Giants on the team’s final two possessions.

The Associated press contributed to this report

For the first time in his four-year tenure Tony Sparano is sitting his starters for the final preseason game.

Every Dolphins starter has been replaced by his backup.

That means there will be no Chad Henne, Brandon Marshall, Reggie Bush or starting offensive line suiting up for tonight’s game against the Dallas Cowboys.

This includes rookies like Mike Pouncey, who might need the work.

The Cowboys are doing the same, sitting 18 of the team’s 22 starters.

As for who will be playing in tonight’s final dress rehearsal for the regular season, which opened on Sept. 12 against the New England Patriots, plenty of youngsters will have an opportunity to earn their worth.

Roberto Wallace and Marlon Moore will start at receiver. Daniel Thomas will serve as the starting tailback and Lex Hilliard will handle the fullback duties.

Ray Feinga is manning the left tackle spot, Nate Garner is playing left guard, Joe Berger is playing center, John Jerry is the right guard and Ray Willis is the right tackle.

Matt Moore will replace Henne as the starting quarterbacks, and it’s likely that Dolphins fans will see Kevin O’Connell and Pat Devlin for a good portion of the game.

On defense Tony McDaniel replaces Kendall Langford. Ronald Fields subs in for Paul Soliai, and Jared Odrick replaces Randy Starks.

Ikaika Alama-Francis, Marvin Mitchell, Austin Spitler and Jason Trusnik will serve as the starting linebackers. It’ll be interesting to see if Jason Taylor and A.J. Edds play against the Cowboys.

Will Allen and Nolan Carroll will serve as the starting cornerbacks, and Tyrone Culver starts in place of Yeremiah Bell.

Reshad Jones will start tonight, but it’s uncertain if Chris Clemons will play. Both safeties are in involved in the only training camp battle as the Dolphins try to determine who is suited to serve as the starting free safety.

The end zone is the cloud nine for most football player, but the churn zone is purgatory on an NFL roster.

There’s no place worse for a player to be than the churn zone exiting training camp because it means his future’s in jeopardy.

Those in the churn zone are on the fringe of making the 53-man roster. That means one bad play in tonight’s preseason finale against the Dallas Cowboys could swing their fate one way or another.

Here’s a look at 20 players in the churn zone and what they need to do to extend their South Florida stay past Saturday, when teams must trim rosters to 53 players.

Secondary

SS Gerald Alexander: He’s been on the roster for less than a week, but the Dolphins do need to keep four safeties on the 53?

CB Will Allen: He’s started all but one game he’s played in the NFL, but this is the next stage of his career. Is this 11-year vet healthy enough to serve an a backup?

CB Nolan Carroll: Last year he was a promising rookie. This year he’s an underachiever who hasn’t taken the next step. But there’s still some upside.

SS Tyrone Culver: He brings more value as a special teamer than safety, but will his $1.25 million contract motivate a salary purge?

CB Nate Ness: He’s a solid cornerback who has worked his way up from the practice squad. He’s a strong special teams contributor, but is there really an upside?

Offensive line

C Joe Berger: He lost his starting spot to Mike Pouncey, and his $1.5 million salary might cost him his job if the Dolphins can find someone younger and cheaper.

OG Ray Feinga: This former practice squad member is one of the team’s better pulling guards. But his development might continue on the practice squad.

OG John Jerry: He’s gone from a disappointing rookie starter to the worst player on the second-team line. No other way to describe him but as a third-round bust.

OT Ray Willis: He’s sparingly played and practiced because of his father’s death, but hard to overlook six years of NFL experience (26 starts).

Offensive weapons

RB Larry Johnson: He’s old (31), comes with baggage, but does know how to effectively run some of Sparano’s favorite power running plays. Will this former Pro Bowler be given time to work the rust off?

WR Marlon Moore: Robert Wallace brings more to the table as a special teams player, but Moore’s caught five passes for 80 yards. Is that enough? Can the Dolphins keep six receivers?

TEs Mickey Shuler, Jeron Mastrud, Dedrick Epps: There’s nothing special about any of these three tight ends, but the Dolphins have to keep someone to backup Anthony Fasano.

FB Lousaka Polite: He’s a one dimensional fullback who has lost his starting spot to rookie Charles Clay. Can the Dolphins afford to keep a backup at an outdated position?

Linebackers

ILB Marvin Mitchell: The Dolphins need four interior lineman, and Mitchell is a decent backup, and solid core special teamer.

ILB Austin Spitler: Spitler, a 2010 seventh-round pick, survived last season because A.J. Edds was injured, and he was a solid special teamer. Is there more?

Defensive line

DE Ryan Baker: He’s stuck on the roster the past two season because of the versatility he brings. But Dolphins might be tempted to poach and test out other waived players.

NT Ronald Fields: The Dolphins don’t really need a backup nose tackle because of Randy Starks. It’s not like Fields has been impressive.

DE Phillip Merling: He’s a solid 3-4 defensive end, and those are hard to find. The Dolphins will likely keep eight defensive linemen on the 53, and he should make the cut if he’s not traded.

okelly@tribune.com Follow him at twitter.com/omarkelly.

An analytical look at the Miami Dolphins heading into the 2011 NFL draft:

Team needs

1. Running back. Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams are unrestricted free agents, and although the team has interest in bringing both back, it won’t break the bank to do so. Williams might have hurt his standing with the Dolphins by making some comments about the coaching staff, and his aging body and lagging production in 2010 didn’t do him any favors, either. Brown had an unproductive contract year, and the team isn’t sold on his ability to be an elite back. This is likely to lead to some hard looks at an early prospect, most notably Alabama’s Mark Ingram, who should be available when the Dolphins pick 15th overall. Still, don’t be surprised if the team goes a different direction in the first round and re-signs Brown.

2. Center. Last year, the Dolphins were convinced Jake Grove was the long-term answer at center. They were wrong, and the Dolphins were left with Joe Berger as their starter. He isn’t an elite NFL center, either, and the interior of Miami’s line just wasn’t good enough in 2010. The Dolphins might be reluctant to devote an early pick to the position, but it doesn’t change the critical need to finally get a top-flight player at the spot. The Dolphins could try to trade down in the first round and select Florida’s Mike Pouncey.

3. Quarterback. Let’s face it: Chad Henne isn’t the type of quarterback this Dolphins regime desires. The team wants a young, strong-armed player with Chad Pennington’s leadership and smarts. Unless the Dolphins decide to change their approach, Henne isn’t going to pan out in south Florida. There have been rumors that Miami might be interested in acquiring Bengals disgruntled QB Carson Palmer. If the Dolphins go the draft route, they won’t be able to get Cam Newton or Blaine Gabbert unless they make a big trade up. Arkansas’ Ryan Mallett isn’t a good value at No. 15, so the Dolphins could consider trading down to select him.

4. Tight end. Since acquiring Anthony Fasano from the Cowboys, G.M. Jeff Ireland has gotten decent production from him. But if Miami is ever going to become an elite offense, it needs to complement Fasano with a young player capable of pushing or perhaps surpassing him. The Dolphins have invested very little in the position since acquiring Fasano in 2008, so it might be time to use a first-day pick on a tight end. Notre Dame’s Kyle Rudolph is a possible option in the first round.

5. Guard. The Dolphins need to stabilize the interior of their offensive line. That means finding a center to anchor the group, but it’s also going to require coach Tony Sparano to settle on a couple of guards and allow them to develop. If Sparano doesn’t like the players on his roster (John Jerry seems to be the guy at one of the spots), it’s time to invest in a player capable of manning the other spot. Miami’s Orlando Franklin, Georgia’s Clint Boling, Michigan’s Stephen Schilling and Fresno State’s Andrew Jackson are some options.

6. Wide receiver. True, Miami owns a nice nucleus of players at this position. But as the team waits to see whether Brian Hartline, Marlon Moore and Roberto Wallace can become good players, it might be time to consider more immediate options. In 2010, there was a need for a dynamic speedster capable of burning opposing secondaries. Hartline and Moore are fast, but they need to grow into the position. Maryland’s Torrey Smith is a tough player with elite speed, but he isn’t worthy of the 15th overall pick. Because the Dolphins don’t have a second-round pick, they would probably have to make a trade to draft him.

Five-year history

Since taking over the Dolphins’ draft in 2008, general manager Jeff Ireland seems to at least be on the right track despite criticism of the organization. That’s not to say the Dolphins have all of the answers, but a majority of the team’s picks since ’08 have at least made the active roster. That’s more than anyone can say about the 2006 draft (run by Nick Saban) and the 2007 draft (run by Randy Mueller). Miami has a long road to overcome those disastrous April days. At least the defense seems to have a nice, solid corps of young, developing players.

2006: F

2007: F

2008: B

2009: B

2010: B

Just one question

Does the team need to draft a receiver?

WR Davone Bess: “It’s going to take a lot of development and a lot of work to get to a point where we’re all reaching our full potential. If everyone commits to getting the work done, there’s no reason why we necessarily need to add any wide receivers to this unit through the draft.”

Palm Beach Post Staff Writer

DAVIE — NFL teams typically have three ways to improve in the off-season: free agency, the draft and trades. The Dolphins certainly will explore those options, and expect to get more out of their coaching staff. But they also will look for help from within.

Richie Incognito and a pair of 2010 draft picks, inside linebacker A.J. Edds and safety Reshad Jones, have shown enough promise that the Dolphins could be better on both sides of the ball even before making any moves.

Other players who figure to play much bigger roles than they did in 2010 include defensive end Jared Odrick, the first-round pick who played in just one game before being sidelined by leg injuries; defensive end Philip Merling, who had three tackles in five games after his return from a torn Achilles tendon; and guard John Jerry, another rookie whose inconsistency cost him playing time.

Incognito started one game at center this season, the home finale at Detroit, and got high marks from coach Tony Sparano, who said Incognito had only one mental mistake at the position. Late in the game, another player’s injury forced Incognito to move back to left guard, his normal spot.

The Dolphins wanted to see if Incognito could be an upgrade over starter Joe Berger.

“At the beginning of that week I was like, ‘Oh, I’ve got to play center,’ ” said Incognito, who worked exclusively at center in practices preceding that game. “Then as the week (went) on, I was in there in game situations and I liked it.”

Incognito was projected as a center by draft experts five years ago. He started 12 games there as a rookie for St. Louis in 2006 but then moved to guard.

Two inches shorter than Berger but 10 pounds heavier at 6-foot-3 and 324 pounds, Incognito seemed to have better success drive-blocking than Berger, perhaps because of his lower center of gravity.

Incognito, asked the difference between guard and center, replied, “There’s a lot less space to work in. You’ve got guys right in front of you and you can just tee off on them. You’ve always got help coming your way in pass protection.

“It’s a whole different world, (but) something I find very comfortable.”

Sparano had planned to use Edds in passing situations because starter Channing Crowder and his back-up, Tim Dobbins, struggled in that role. But Edds, who intercepted five passes in his final year at Iowa, went down in the first week of training camp with a torn ACL and was lost for the season.

He attended meetings and lifted weights during his rehab but never got on the field.

“It’s tough to sit back and watch, knowing you can’t do a lot to affect the outcome,” said Edds, a fourth-round pick. “But that kind of fuels the fire to get healthy. You just use it as a learning process.”

Edds, who underwent surgery in mid-August, expects to get the green light to join the team in off-season practices – pending, of course, the resolution of a labor agreement by spring. He added five pounds to his 6-4, 250-pound frame through weight training but doesn’t expect it to hurt his coverage abilities.

“In the (off-season practices) and the short time I had in camp I was pretty proud of my ability to flip my hips and run with the (receivers),” he said. “Next year hopefully I can pick up where I left off and broaden my skill set.”

Jones was competing with another fifth-rounder, 2009 pick Chris Clemons, for the starting free safety job and impressed enough that he earned two starts in the final six games, against Chicago and Buffalo.

Considering Clemons played four years at Clemson while Jones left Georgia after his junior year, he made up a lot of ground in a short time.

“The guy has a lot of ability,” Sparano said. “He needs to mature, and what I mean by that is gain experience, learn how to study, be diligent about what he has to do.”

Jones, 22, who had five tackles against Chicago and five against New England in the season finale, said there were times early on when he questioned his decision to leave school early.

“I struggled a little bit with both the playbook and on the field, but being out there and getting a feel for the speed of the game helps a lot,” he said.

He said he has developed a bond with Clemons as they competed for the same job.

“We kind of mentor each other,” he said. “I kind of look at him, and he looks at me, and we share things if we feel something needs to be done.

“I truly believe I’ll be ready to compete for a starting job next year.”