Miami Dolphins add two players to COVID list ahead of season opener vs. Patriots

The Miami Dolphins on Monday placed two players on the reserve/COVID-19 list ahead of the team’s season opener against the New England Patriots this weekend.

The team announced that starting left tackle Austin Jackson and tight end Adam Shaheen have been added to the list, placing their availability for the first game of the season in question.

Coach Brian Flores said Monday that it’s “possible” both Jackson and Shaheen will be available for the game. However, the NFL Network reported that Shaheen will miss the game Sunday because of a positive test as an unvaccinated individual.

Shaheen was also placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list on Aug. 1. Upon his return to practice, Shaheen revealed that he is not vaccinated but said he did not test positive and was added to the list because he was a close contact. Unless Shaheen has been vaccinated since then, he will have to quarantine for at least five days. Jackson’s vaccination status is unknown, but Pro Football Talk reported that he tested positive.

According to NFL protocols, if a player is unvaccinated and tests positive, he must complete a 10-day quarantine before returning to practice. If a player is vaccinated and tests positive, he can return to practice after producing two negative tests within 24 hours apart. And if a player is unvaccinated and is deemed a close contact of someone who tested positive, he must complete a 5-day quarantine. Vaccinated players who test positive and are deemed a close contact do not have to quarantine.

“I think it’s kind of a ‘next man up’ mentality and that’s kind of how we’ve taken it this morning,” Flores said before Monday’s practice. “Obviously those are two players we like, we feel strongly about, who are contributors to this team; but we have to assume and move forward as if they won’t be with us and then we will kind of — well, we’ve already reassessed and said, ‘hey, we’re going to do this, this and this’ — and prepare for the next guy to play and contribute. That’s the plan moving forward.”

Flores said the team has multiple options at left tackle if Jackson cannot play and will experiment with them in practice in the coming days. One option could be plugging Greg Little, whom the Dolphins acquired in an August trade with the Carolina Panthers, at left tackle. The 2019 second-round pick has appeared in 14 games and made six starts in two seasons. However, Little was not seen during the open viewing period of practice. A source said Little’s absence was because of an illness not related to COVID-19.

The Dolphins could also move right tackle Jesse Davis, who started multiple games at left tackle last season, to the left side, and play second-round pick Liam Eichenberg at right tackle. Eichenberg spent time during training at left guard and right tackle. At Notre Dame, he also started 38 games at left tackle. Eichenberg, who hadn’t practiced recently because of an apparent lower-body injury, was seen practicing during the open viewing period on Monday. Before practice, Flores said Eichenberg was “day to day.”

“Those things are hard,” Davis said of moving on the offensive line. “I’ve done it a few times so it’s nothing I’m going to get super anxious about. But, it’s just all about preparation. Today’s message was, ‘Preparation leads to confidence.’ And I think that was a good message for the team today. So, whoever’s going to be there: Prepare.”

When asked what his philosophy is on shuffling the offensive line, Flores said, “Get the best five, that’d be my initial answer.

“You want your best five players out there,” he added. “I think we’ve had a few different combinations. I think from a communication standpoint, the guys should’ve worked together in some different roles. My first thought would be to get the best five guys out there and take it from there.”

If Shaheen is unavailable, it would likely mean a large increase in snaps for third-round pick Hunter Long, Cethan Carter and Durham Smythe.

The Dolphins also elevated practice squad cornerback Jamal Perry to the active roster as a COVID-19 replacement, which may be a sign that one of the two players on the reserve/COVID-19 list is not going to be able to return in time for the Week 1 game.

The Dolphins’ coronavirus situation is just the latest example of what is expected to be another NFL season impacted by the ongoing pandemic.

Cowboys offensive lineman Zack Martin tested positive for the virus and was subsequently placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list on Sunday, placing his availability for the NFL’s season opener on Thursday night in peril.

While the league has relaxed rules for players who are vaccinated — players who have received the shot don’t have to wear masks in team facilities and have no travel restrictions, among other things — the NFL and NFL Players’ Association have agreed to conduct weekly testing for vaccinated players. Previously, vaccinated players only had to be tested once every 14 days. Unvaccinated players still have to undergo daily testing.