Advertisement

Miami Dolphins place 6 players on reserve/COVID-19 list, including 5 rookies

The NFL has stated that just because a player goes on the reserve/COVID-19 list does not mean he has tested positive or is being quarantined.

That leaves us to wonder the reason why a team puts a player on the list, or in the Miami Dolphins’ case on Thursday, why six players were placed on it at once.

As the deadline for players to opt out passed, the Dolphins announced they had six players going on the reserve/COVID-19 list. Five of them are rookies.

Dolphins edge rusher Shaq Lawson, formerly of the Buffalo Bills, was placed on the team's reserve/COVID-19 list. (Photo by Bryan M. Bennett/Getty Images)
Dolphins edge rusher Shaq Lawson, formerly of the Buffalo Bills, was placed on the team's reserve/COVID-19 list. (Photo by Bryan M. Bennett/Getty Images)

5 of 6 Dolphins on list are rookies

The Dolphins made the announcement that six players were going on the list Thursday afternoon, and reiterated the NFL’s policy that the team can’t say if a player tested positive or is in quarantine. The list is for positive tests or players who were quarantined after having been in close contact for someone who was infected.

The players going on the list were Raekwon Davis, Benito Jones, Brandon Jones, Solomon Kindley, Shaq Lawson and Kirk Merritt. Davis, Brandon Jones and Kindley are all rookie draft picks, selected in the second, third and fourth rounds respectively. Lawson, a former first-round pick of the Buffalo Bills, signed a three-year, $30 million deal this offseason. Benito Jones and Merritt are also rookies, signing as undrafted free agents.

The fact that there are five rookies among the six players going on the reserve/COVID-19 list is noteworthy, though we still can’t know why they went on the list. Given that Florida is the state with the second most COVID cases according to the CDC, and that MLB’s most significant outbreak came with the Miami Marlins, the Dolphins putting six players on the list at once is worrisome too.

There will be ambiguity with the NFL’s reserve/COVID-19 list all season. All we know for certain is the Dolphins put a significant number of players on it Thursday.

More from Yahoo Sports: