Miami Dolphins place former Pro Bowler on COVID list. And Tua Tagovailoa makes a move

A six-pack of Miami Dolphins notes on a Tuesday:

▪ The roadblocks to return for Dolphins cornerback Xavien Howard keep mounting.

Already on the physically unable to perform list with a lingering knee issue, Howard on Tuesday was placed on the league’s reserve/COVID-19 list.

That designation bars him from entering the team facility — where he has been rehabbing his 2019 knee surgery — until he passes the necessary protocols to return.

The NFL prohibits teams from disclosing whether players actually test positive for COVID-19. Players who go on IR/COVID-19 either test positive or come in close contact with someone who has.

Howard’s news comes on the eve of the team’s first practice of training camp. He hasn’t played in a game since Week 8 of the 2019 season — a span of nearly 10 months. The Dolphins last fall had hoped his undisclosed knee injury would improve without surgery, but ultimately he went under the knife some weeks later.

The Dolphins believe Howard and Byron Jones can form one of the best cornerback tandems in the NFL this year. They are the team’s highest two paid players, counting a combined $31 million against Miami’s salary cap this season.

Howard is the 15th Dolphins player to go on IR/COVID-19 since testing began in late July. Of the 14 others to go on the list, all but guard Ereck Flowers have since come of it.

▪ Two bright young defensive players weighed in on Dolphins coach Brian Flores this week, with vastly different tones.

Whereas Pittsburgh Steelers safety Minkah Fitzpatrick implied he faulted Flores for his unwillingness to play Fitzpatrick where he felt best suited to play, Dolphins linebacker Jerome Baker praised Flores’ ability to maximize players’ talents and earn their trust.

We’ll get to the specifics from both players in a minute.

But this is worth noting: In conversations with several NFL sources close to Dolphins players, there has been widespread praise for Flores, both privately and publicly, from players over the past year. Some of those sources have quickly pointed out when Dolphins players had issues with Adam Gase or Joe Philbin.

Fitzpatrick revived an issue that seemingly had lost relevance when he explained, in a lengthy profile released Tuesday by Bleacher Report, the circumstances that led him to ask for a trade from the Dolphins last September.

According to the piece, “Flores had Fitzpatrick playing the Patrick Chung role in his scheme, which Fitzpatrick believed completely misused his gifts. Oh, he was perfectly fine with moving around. As a rookie, Fitzpatrick had shifted from outside corner to nickel to free safety to strong safety to even 20-some snaps at linebacker. But now? Now, Flores wanted him to play all strong safety and all linebacker, where he could not use his athleticism or his mind. He felt as though Flores had no clue who he was as a player and didn’t care to find out.”

The report said that “initially, in August, Fitzpatrick confronted Flores about it. Nothing too serious yet. He just asked if he could get some coverage reps in, to show the new staff what he was capable of. Maybe seeing his athleticism in person would change their minds. Right? Wrong. The trial lasted all of one practice, Fitzpatrick says, and he was given ‘barely’ any coverage work at all. That’s when Fitzpatrick decided he’d had enough and, he admits, went rogue.”

The Dolphins used Fitzpatrick in deep center in the season-opening loss to Baltimore, but he was repeatedly toasted and asked for a trade in the days that followed.

According to the Bleacher Report story, “Flores tried to convince Fitzpatrick that he needed him to be a cornerstone for this organization, but to Fitzpatrick, there was no way he could be that franchise player if he was so pigeonholed, so uncomfortable, so misunderstood.”

Fitzpatrick said it boiled down to this: “We had a difference of opinion in my skill set and what he thought I could do and what I thought I could do.”

Fitzpatrick was traded for what turned out to be the 18th overall pick, which was used on Southern California offensive tackle Austin Jackson.

Fitzpatrick made the Pro Bowl in his first year in Pittsburgh, but it’s too soon to judge whether Miami got fair value in that trade. And the Dolphins found an above-average safety when they decided to move Eric Rowe there last October.

Flores declined to comment in the Bleacher Report piece.

While Fitzpatrick was airing his grievances, Baker was advocating for Flores in a Reddit interview on Tuesday.

In an Ask Me Anything Q&A, Baker acknowledged Flores is a “unique” coach who rarely lets his players feel too comfortable.

But in Baker’s view, that’s a plus.

“He tries in any way to get you to play at the maximum level,” Baker wrote. “If it’s challenging you with words, if it’s challenging you mentally. He does everything to get you to be the best player you can be. He does a great job establishing trust with guys. Once you establish that you can really push guys to their limits so they can be their best. I really appreciate that about Flo.”

▪ Other noteworthy answers from Baker, who’s entering his third season:

Asked about the challenges of team building presented by social distancing, Baker replied: “We’re really trying to make up for lost time now. You really get to know a guy and compensate, I think guys are really more open to talking. The conversation really moves fast because we all missed being around people who love football as much as we all do. I think that’s pretty cool. Everybody just missed each other and human contact so it’s really fun with conversations.”...

With no preseason games, Baker has been able to turn his focus to the regular season. He has already begun watching film on the Patriots and Bills — the Dolphins’ first two opponents….

Would Baker prefer to fight one Ryan Fitzpatrick-sized duck or 100 duck-sized Ryan Fitzpatricks (yes, that was an actual question)? “I could fight a duck but 100 duck sized Ryan Fitzpatricks? Yeah he’s old but he can compete. I’d take the duck.”

▪ As NFL Network noted, free agent cornerback Logan Ryan has tried to fashion himself as a safety, not a corner, in free agency, and his agents have sent data to teams showing his potential value there.

The Dolphins made a full-court press to try to sign safety Devin McCourty before he re-upped with New England in March, and they have touched base with representation for Ryan this offseason.

But Miami is now deep at safety, with Bobby McCain, Rowe, third-round rookie Brandon Jones, special teams ace Clayton Fejedelem and veterans Kavon Frazier and Adrian Colbert.

If the Dolphins’ young slot corners and backup safeties struggle badly in camp, perhaps Miami could move McCain to his old nickel corner role and sign Ryan to play safety. But it would be surprising if Miami gave Ryan anything close to his reported $10 million asking price.

The Dolphins believe McCain has value at safety because of his strong communication skills, but whether he can hold up physically at the position will remain a question until he does it.

Ryan played for the Patriots when Flores worked on New England’s staff.

▪ Fox Sports Films is releasing a nine-part documentary chronicling the past year of Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa’s life. The first episode airs at 4 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 6 on Fox; the other eight episodes air on the Fox Sports app in the weeks ahead.

“Tua is a beloved young star with an incredible story,” Charlie Dixon, Executive Vice President of Content at Fox Sports, told Variety. “We like to say, ‘Fox is Football’, and since it’s in our DNA, that means providing the deepest insight into the sport both on and off the field. The film’s level of access and pure emotion provides a new level of appreciation for his journey.”

Among those interviewed: Alabama coach Nick Saban, team orthopaedic surgeon Dr. Lyle Cain, and former NFL quarterbacks Trent Dilfer and Steve Young. Dilfer was Tagovailoa’s personal coach this offseason.

▪ Quick stuff: The Dolphins brought former FAU defensive tackle Brandin Bryant to team headquarters this week. He has spent time with the Seahawks, Jets, Browns and has appeared in four NFL games - all with Cleveland last year. He has three NFL tackles...

A week of early voting remains ahead of Florida’s Aug. 18 primary election, and Flores on Tuesday encouraged everyone to turn out.

The Dolphins shared photos of Flores filling out what appeared to be a mail-in ballot on Twitter, along with a link to the team’s voter registration drive. https://www.miamidolphins.com/events/vote/