Dolphins lose Henne for season, sign Rosenfels

MIAMI - Another loss for the winless Miami Dolphins: Quarterback Chad Henne is out for the season.

Henne decided to have shoulder surgery and was placed on the injured reserve list Thursday.

The Dolphins replaced him on the roster by signing veteran quarterback Sage Rosenfels, who was released Tuesday by the New York Giants after recovering from a blood disorder that sent him to the hospital in August.

Henne separated his left shoulder when tackled on a busted play in the first quarter of Sunday's loss at San Diego. Matt Moore took over and will make his first start for the Dolphins in their next game Oct. 17 against the New York Jets.

Henne lost his past seven starts for the Dolphins, who are 0-4 with a bye this week. Immediately after the game, he expressed optimism he would quickly be back in the lineup, but the injury turned out to be more serious than he anticipated.

Moore took all of the snaps with the first team in practice Tuesday and Wednesday, and the only other healthy QB with the team was rookie Pat Devlin, a member of the practice squad.

Moore will become the 16th quarterback to start for the Dolphins since Dan Marino retired following the 1999 season. The list include Rosenfels, who started one game in 2004 and another in 2005. He also started 10 games for Houston in 2007-08.

Now 33, Rosenfels had a strong preseason for the Giants before becoming ill. He hasn't thrown a pass in a regular-season game since 2008.

Moore is a fourth-year pro with 23 career starts, all with Carolina, and last year he went 1-4 as a starter before a right shoulder injury ended his season.

The Dolphins courted Denver's Kyle Orton this summer before deciding to stay with Henne, who has been much maligned since becoming Miami's starter in 2009.

Henne was jeered by fans during training camp but showed some improvement this season, looking more decisive and winning praise for his leadership.

Even so, he ranks 24th in the NFL in passing efficiency, and Miami scored only one touchdown each of the past three games.

Coincidentally, the last time the Dolphins played at San Diego, they lost quarterback Chad Pennington with a season-ending shoulder injury. That was in 2009, and Henne made his first start the following week.