Dolphins’ ‘next-man-up’ mentality will be put to the test against Jets

“Next man up” is one of the oldest cliches in professional sports, a line that is often repeated over and over like a song’s chorus by every team.

When personnel losses happen because of injuries, suspensions, or COVID-19 positive test results, which is the case for many NFL teams like the Miami Dolphins this past week, the next man in line is required to step up and fill in capably.

Football, a sport whose collisions are often equivalent of a car crash, has the biggest rosters in sports. Therefore, the league must survive on players rising up the depth chart and holding down the line, or the linebacker unit, or the secondary, or the receiver room.

This past week because of a recent outbreak of COVID-19, which has produced more than 100 positive tests and motivated the NFL to push back one game to Monday and two others to Tuesday, dozens of players will be put in “next-man-up” situations and asked to transform from a backup into a key contributor.

“It’s the same old, same old. It’s the guys who are next up, they need to understand that their number might be called and they need to be ready to help this team win,” said center Michael Deiter. “It’s the same with coaches. It could be the next man up with the coaches too. Everyone involved needs to be ready to be the next guy up, whether you’re [practice] squad, third [team] on the depth chart. It doesn’t matter because obviously it’s real. COVID is real.”

The Dolphins (6-7) will likely be without their two sensational rookies — safety Jevon Holland and receiver Jaylen Waddle — who were among the six Miami players who tested positive for COVID-19 within the past 10 days.

Tailbacks Myles Gaskin and Salvon Ahmed were the first two players to test positive last weekend, and both returned to the team on Friday after producing two negative tests within a 24 hour period. Players have until 4 p.m. on Saturday to do so to be eligible for Sunday’s game against the New York Jets (3-10).

Because the Dolphins, and most of the NFL have transitioned to remote work — meeting as a large group for practices only, and social distancing more than usual when they are inside the facility — there is a chance Gaskin and Ahmed kept up with this week’s game plan, and could contribute on Sunday.

But the Dolphins elevated former Hurricanes standout Duke Johnson up from the practice squad and he’s spent all week working as the first-team tailback, and has impressed his teammates in the process.

However, players who have been out because of COVID have been attending position and team meetings virtually, so they should be up to speed on the game plan.

Coach Brian Flores also said that Gaskin and Ahmed’s experience in Miami’s offense the past two seasons created a lot of carryover from a learning standpoint.

It also doesn’t hurt that this is Miami’s second game against the Jets in a month.

Even though the entire tailback room was impacted by the virus, Miami’s greater challenge will be playing without Holland, the signal-caller in the secondary, and replacing Waddle, who has been the Dolphins’ only reliable receiver.

Miami will likely use three to four defensive backs — safeties Eric Rowe and Brandon Jones, and cornerbacks Nik Needham and Justin Coleman — to compensate for Holland’s absence.

A similar approach might apply for Waddle, who is on pace to set a new NFL rookie record for receptions in a season, shattering a threshold (101) set by former Pahokee High standout Anquan Boldin in 2003.

Waddle, who has contributed 86 receptions for 849 yards and has scored five touchdowns this season, has become the focal point of Miami’s passing game this season. He’s played all three receiver spots, and has been quarterback Tua Tagovailoa’s go-to playmaker.

His absence would mean DeVante Parker must take on a larger role in his second game back from a hamstring injury that got him shutdown for a month in November.

Parker, who has record 30 receptions for 389 yards and one touchdown, has caught at least four passes in every game he’s played this season. In his return to the team two weeks ago he caught five passes for 62 yards in Miami’s 20-9 win over the New York Giants.

It also means Mike Gesicki could have a larger package of snaps at slot receiver, which is a role he’s played for three seasons now. And most importantly, the Dolphins would need Preston Williams, Albert Wilson, Mack Hollins and Isaiah Ford, the four other receivers on the roster, to pick their contribution level.

“We pride ourselves on having that next-man-up approach and it’s going to take all of us to cover Jaylen’s role as well as the running backs, whoever’s in there,” said Ford, who has caught eight passes for 110 yards and two touchdowns this season. “It’s going to take a full team approach.”

All four receivers have shown flashes from time to time the past few seasons, but they all have lacked consistency this season, which along with the run game’s struggles (3.3 yards per carry average ranks next to last in NFL) and the offensive line’s protection issues, explains why Miami’s offense ranks 25th in points per game (19.5) this season.

If there was ever a time for them to rise to the occasion, and be the “next man up,” it is now.