Miami Dolphins say two starters unavailable but stop short of ruling them out Sunday
Miami Dolphins defensive tackle Christian Wilkins and linebacker Kyle Van Noy are unavailable at the moment because they are on the NFL’s COVID-19 list, coach Brian Flores said Friday.
But whether they will play Sunday against the Los Angeles Chargers won’t be official — or certain — until 4 p.m. Saturday, the deadline by which players must be activated off the COVID list to be able to play this weekend.
One of the two players privately has indicated that he hoped to play Sunday.
Flores declined to specifically say the players are out Sunday, instead using the word “unavailable” to address their general status. Asked again specifically if they would not be playing Sunday, Flores said only: “I’m not going into anybody’s medical situation. They’re on COVID IR and they’re unavailable.”
The team did not offer a clarification on what Flores meant.
Both players were placed on the COVID-19 list on Thursday. Van Noy was placed on the list because of contact tracing, according to a source.
The league’s contact tracing rules require that a player be in isolation for five days from the time he was in close contact with an infected person before he’s eligible to return. But there are exceptions.
If Wilkins is out, defensive linemen Zach Sieler (who’s already playing a lot), Raekwon Davis and Jason Strowbridge could all play more.
If Van Noy is out, linebackers Elandon Roberts, Andrew Van Ginkel, Kamu Grugier-Hill and Sam Eguaovoen could play more.
The Dolphins announced that quarterbacks coach Robby Brown, defensive line coach Marion Hobby, quality control coach Kolby Smith and outside linebackers coach Austin Clark will miss their second game in a row due to COVID-19 protocols. At least one of those coaches tested positive for the virus.
Meanwhile, running back Matt Breida is in danger of missing a second consecutive game because of a hamstring injury. He was limited in practice on Friday and Flores said he would be listed as questionable.
On Friday, tight end Durham Smythe (concussion) and cornerback Jamal Perry (foot) practiced fully for the first time this week; both were listed as questionable.
Davis returned to practice after missing a day for personal reasons.
The Dolphins have three open spots on their 50 man roster, but there’s also another mechanism this season to add a player to the roster. That mechanism allows a team to “elevate” a player from the practice squad to its active roster for a game without signing that play to a 53-man contract.
The Dolphins announced that they “elevated” tight end Chris Myarick and defensive tackle Benito Jones for Sunday’s game.
Two team sources have said that practice squad receiver Antonio Callaway doesn’t seem 100 percent back to himself after a knee issue a while ago (as far as making cuts in his routes) but is getting closer and figures to help Miami at some point this season.
Also notable: The Chargers ruled out defensive end Joey Bosa for Sunday’s game because of a concussion. He has 4.5 sacks this season and 44.5 in 4 1/2 NFL seasons.
THIS AND THAT
Flores was non-committal about whether new running back DeAndre Washington would play Sunday. He has practiced with the team for three days and “gotten more comfortable,” Flores said. “We’ll see. He’s done a few things offensively and in the kicking game. We can only take 48 to the game.”
▪ Chargers coach Anthony Lynn was asked if anyone in his organization wanted Tua Tagovailoa — who went fifth to Miami — instead of Justin Herbert, who went sixth to the Chargers.
“We got the quarterback we wanted,” Lynn said. “Tua is an outstanding young man and quarterback, but we’re very happy with our quarterback.”
Lynn said of Tagovailoa: “As a young man, outstanding. Personality and you could seen his leadership qualities and skills and all the intangibles that people talk about. He was a very productive quarterback at Alabama. He’s a tough kid. Obviously we liked him a lot.”
▪ Keep this in mind Sunday: The Chargers blitz the least of any NFL team (13.8 percent of drop backs), and Tagovailoa has been great when not blitzed, completing 72.7 percent of his passes with two TD throws and a 117.1 passer rating.
MORE PRAISE FROM ANALYSTS
TV analysts heaped praise on the Dolphins, Tagovailoa and Flores this week. Some reaction:
▪ Showtime’s Brandon Marshall, on Flores: “You can go back to how he manages the game, managed the clock before the half [against Arizona]. Small things like this, to get the coaches to burn a time out. He’s just next level coaching. And for that reason, the Dolphins are going to have their future set up for success for the next 10 years because of this guy.”
▪ Showtime’s Ray Lewis: “To give credit to Brian Flores, there are no superstars on the Dolphins. There are none. There’s just a bunch of guys who see one mission…The Dolphins have a great opportunity to take that next step.”
▪ NFL Network’s David Carr, the former No. 1 overall pick, on Tagovailoa: “His precision, his accuracy are great. Great decision making. What I really loved was what he was able to do with his legs. The subtlety in the pocket, the movement. He looks toward the sideline, gets Budda Baker [distracted on one run]. A no-look juke by a rookie in his second start, that’s something to be excited about. If he’s going to make plays like this and extend plays and continue to get better, man.”
▪ NFL Network’s Willie McGinest: “Tua added versatility to the offense as far as moving the pocket. We saw the anticipation, the accuracy. He showed some veteran type throws putting the ball in certain spots where the receivers out of their breaks were going to be. The ball wasn’t late, the timing was good, he was poised. And he made good decisions. For a young quarterback, those are all the boxes you want to check.”
▪ ESPN’s Marcus Spears: “This guy [Flores] has built an identity on the defensive side and they’re going to roll that way. A lot of teams are going to have problems. They’re big and physical. They’re fast. They can rush the passer and on the back end they can cover.”
This story was originally published November 13, 2020 at 1:46 PM.
