Veteran defender Dolphins may not be available to play the key game of week 17
The Miami Dolphins quarterback, Ryan Fitzpatrick, gave positive results for COVID-19 and will not be available for the final game of the regular season on Sunday against Buffalo Bills, confirmed a source for ESPN This Thursday.
Fitzpatrick attended training on Thursday, and the Miami Herald reports that the veteran defender gave positive results sometime after training..
Dolphins are reportedly tracking contacts to determine the risk of close contact from their defenders, including starter Tua Tagovailoa.
Tagovailoa participated in the practice on Thursday, but it is not clear when the Dolphins began their journey of contact with the defenders. Rookie battled in Week 16 against the Las Vegas Raiders and was replaced by Fitzpatrick, who led the Dolphins’ return to a last-minute victory and helped keep their hopes alive in the playoffs.
Dolphins signed free agent defender Jake Rudock on Thursday, according to defender Mike McCartney’s agent.
The NFL Network was the first outlet to report a positive to Fitzpatrick on Thursday.
Miami would win a wild card seat in the US Conference, with a victory over Buffalo. Dolphins head coach Brian Flores previously announced that Tagovailoa will start the game and compared Fitzpatrick to a baseball assistant.
Fitzpatrick, 38, is 4-3 as a starter this season, throwing for 2,091 meters with 13 touchdowns and eight interceptions.