More Practice Squad Elevations for Saints Game

The Miami Dolphins elevated three more players from the practice squad for the game at the Caesars Superdome

The Miami Dolphins made three more practice squad elevations as COVID-19 replacements for the game against the New Orleans Saints at the Caesars Superdome on Monday night.

The Dolphins elevated offensive linemen Roderick Johnson and Adam Pankey, as well as running back Jordan Scarlett on Monday.

That brings to five the number of COVID-19 replacements the Dolphins have brought up from the practice squad for this game, the first two being center Cameron Tom and return specialist Tommylee Lewis.

The moves with Johnson and Pankey were expected because three offensive linemen who served as backups against the New York Jets last Sunday — Greg Mancz, Solomon Kindley and Robert Jones — were placed on the Reserve/COVID-19 list in the past week.

The Scarlett move is a lot more curious considering the Dolphins already have running backs on the active roster, even after deciding against activating Malcolm Brown off IR this week.

Brown now has practiced for two weeks and the Dolphins will have to make a move with him before the Tennessee game Jan. 2 or Brown will remain on IR the rest of the way.

But even without Brown, the Dolphins still have Myles Gaskin, Duke Johnson, Salvon Ahmed and Phillip Lindsay on the active roster, which suggests that the move with Scarlett probably relates more to special teams.

Along with three offensive linemen, the players who went from the active roster to the Reserve/COVID-19 list in the past week were TE Cethan Carter, WR Albert Wilson, LB Duke Riley CB Justin Coleman, as well as IR wide receivers Lynn Bowden Jr. and Allen Hurns.

SAINTS STATUS

To deal with their massive COVID-19 problems, the Saints elevated 14 players as COVID-19 replacements Monday.

The most prominent names were QB Blake Bortles and former Chargers second-round pick Forrest Lamp, an offensive lineman.

The others were WR Easop Winston Jr., DB Bryce Thompson, DB Jordan Miller, LB Chase Hansen, DT Braxton Hoyett, LB Justin March-Lillard, LB Sharif Finch, C/G Will Clapp, T Kyle Murphy, WR Kawaan Baker, TE Ethan Wolf and DT Ethan Westbrooks.

The Saints officially announced Monday they had placed LB Kwon Alexander on the COVID-19 list, making him the team's 21st player on the list, to go along with four assistant coaches.

One of those coaches is special teams coordinator Darren Rizzi, who filled the same role for the Dolphins along with being associate head coach in 2017-18.

Here's the Saints' full list: QB Taysom Hill, QB Trevor Siemian, T Ryan Ramczyk, TE Adam Trautman, TE Juwan Johnson, G James Carpenter, T Jordan Mills, T Jerald Hawkins, RB Dwayne Washington, WR/RS Deonte Harris, DE Carl Granderson, DE Jalyn Holmes, DT Christian Ringo, DT Malcolm Roach, LB Demario Davis, LB Kwon Alexander, LB Kaden Elliss, S Malcolm Jenkins, S/ST J.T. Gray, S Jeff Heath, CB Kei'Varae Russell.

The Saints did not activate any player off the COVID-19 list Monday.