The Miami Dolphins placed star cornerback Xavien Howard on the reserve/COVID-19 list Tuesday.
Howard's placement on the list means that he either tested positive for COVID-19 or is in quarantine after being in close contact with someone who tested positive. The Dolphins are not allowed to comment on whether he tested positive or is simply in quarantine.
This is another hurdle in what has been a difficult offseason for Howard, who is currently on the physically unable to perform list as he continues to recover from knee surgery he had in December. He had been rehabbing and running at the facility this summer. Howard, the NFL's co-interception leader in 2018, played just five games in 2019 due to that knee injury.
If Howard is in quarantine for an extended period of time, it will only increase the uncertainty about whether he will be ready to play for the Dolphins in their Week 1 contest at the New England Patriots.
The Dolphins signed cornerback Byron Jones to a massive five-year, $82.5 million deal in free agency in March with the hopes of forming a top cornerback duo with Howard. They also drafted cornerback Noah Igbinoghene in the first round in April.
Guard Ereck Flowers is the only other Dolphins player currently on the reserve/COVID-19 list. He was placed there on Aug. 2 after the Dolphins' initial COVID-19 testing wave.