The Miami Dolphins are officially back in business. And while the team too, to the field for their first day of practice in preparation for the 2021 season, not every player on the offseason roster is bouncing back with the same pace — there were a number of players who are being handled with care. The Dolphins, ahead of Wednesday’s first practice, conducted each of the following roster moves:
- Signed interior OL Tyler Marz
- Placed OL D.J. Fluker, WR DeVante Parker, LB Elandon Roberts and WR Preston Williams on the active/physically unable to perform (PUP) list
- Placed rookie OT Larnel Coleman on the reserve/COVID-19 list
The presence of Coleman on the reserve/COVID-19 list is a reminder that the COVID-19 pandemic is still lingering; which puts extra emphasis on each team in the NFL’s vaccination rate and/or their adherence to COVID-19 protocols. Miami has been reported to be at or near the top of the league in terms of vaccination participation.
And while COVID-19 can pop up at any point in time, the addition of several players to the PUP list is a bit more surprising; particularly when they are players like Parker and Fluker. Roberts is bouncing back from a knee injury and Williams had foot surgery; their classification is not a surprise. Here’s what we know: Parker’s injury and/or ailment is reported to be nothing serious and Fluker’s issue is a late arising injury but he should be back in August.
The players can be brought off the PUP list at any time, but once they are they’ll need to be fully active participants in practices. So keep an eye on the status of Fluker and Parker in the coming days — and Williams’ status is one that may be more of a slow reintroduction if his offseason training has been negatively impacted by rehab.
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