Welcome to the 2021 NFL season, where the lingering threat of COVID-19 can derail a team’s depth chart and game plan at any given notice. For the Miami Dolphins, we’re now seeing the first glimpse of that according to a report this morning from ESPN’s Field Yates. Yates is reporting that the Dolphins have placed two offensive players, starting left tackle Austin Jackson and backup tight end Adam Shaheen, on the reserve/COVID-19 list to start the week.
The Dolphins have placed starting LT Austin Jackson and TE Adam Shaheen on the Reserve/COVID-19 list, per source.
If Jackson is unavailable this Sunday, Greg Little could step in to start.
— Field Yates (@FieldYates) September 6, 2021
This development could just be contact tracing — in which case both players could possibly be eligible to return. But if there are positive cases here, Miami is going to need to pivot with their planning for the regular season opener against New England and have other talent ready to step into the void left by their absences.
Shaheen has been banged up in recent days and his presence is simply that of a potential red zone target. The Dolphins kept five tight ends at the roster cut down and 2021 rookie Hunter Long could absorb those reps in a fairly straight forward swap on the depth chart. And if he did, it wouldn’t be likely that we’d see much of a difference in the production of either player; although Long has less experience but arguably a higher ceiling as a talent.
At left tackle, the Dolphins will have some interesting options. The team acquired OT Greg Little a few weeks back and he played well against Cincinnati in the third and final preseason game. The team also has 2nd-round rookie pick Liam Eichenberg; who played left tackle for years at Notre Dame before being drafted by Miami and groomed this offseason to step in at right tackle. Perhaps a short return to his natural left side alignment could be in the cards. But Eichenberg has dealt with some bumps and bruises this past month and has missed valuable time in his preparations for the start of the season.
He’s currently expected to be the Dolphins’ 6th offensive lineman entering into Week 1. We’ll see if the Dolphins trust him to play the swing tackle role if Jackson misses extended time.