Dolphins’ 2022 schedule mostly complete. A COVID update, and Tua talks about life

A six-pack of Miami Dolphins notes on Thursday:

▪ The Dolphins know 14 of their 17 opponents for 2022, and the schedule — while hardly easy — doesn’t appear too treacherous.

Besides the usual home and road games against the New York Jets, New England and Buffalo, the Dolphins also have home games against Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Green Bay, Minnesota and an AFC South team to be determined.

Besides the AFC East opponents, Miami’s road games in 2022 include dates at Baltimore, at Chicago, at Cincinnati, at Detroit and at AFC West and NFC West teams to be determined.

The opponents to be determined are the ones who finish in the same spot in the division as the Dolphins. Miami currently stands third in the AFC East.

If the current standings hold, Miami would have a home game against Houston and road games against Denver and San Francisco, in addition to the matchups listed above.

▪ Safety Brandon Jones said Thursday that the elbow injury that has sidelined him the past two games — and an ankle injury — have both healed.

“I feel really good,” he said. But the Dolphins continue to list him as a limited participant in practice.

If Jevon Holland isn’t cleared to return from the COVID-19 list by 4 p.m. Saturday, then Jones and Eric Rowe likely would be the starting safety tandem.

Missing Holland would be “tough [because] of how vocal he is and a great communicator,” Jones said. “That will be pretty hard [to replace].”

As of Thursday morning, the NFL rule was that Holland and other vaccinated players who test positive could play on Sunday only if they produce two negative tests spaced 24 hours apart by mid-afternoon Saturday, and if they don’t have symptoms.

But the NFL released new COVID rules Thursday afternoon that could allow asymptomatic players who test positive to return as quickly as a day after testing positive if they get a single negative test and a negative rapid-result test.

On Thursday, practice squad running back Gerrid Doaks became the sixth Dolphins player on the COVID-19 list -- joining Myles Gaskin, Jaylen Waddle, Holland, Salvon Ahmed and Phillip Lindsay.

Running back Jordan Scarlett joined the team’s practice squad. Austin Jackson was limited Thursday with an illness. So was Clayton Fejedelem (ankle). Hunter Long (illness) and Adam Shaheen (knee) also remain limited.

▪ With COVID spreading swiftly, neither the Dolphins coaching staff nor players appear ready to encourage or instruct each other to mostly stay at home for the next month, and I’m not sure that would be permitted without union approval, anyway.

Jones said he’s getting tested “a lot more frequently” — more than the one weekly test required for vaccinated players — and “I’ve been pretty responsible and smart about everything.”

As receiver Isaiah Ford put it, “we know what’s at stake. We want to keep each other as safe as possible.”

The six Dolphins who tested positive in the past week are quarantining “in the hotel, dealing with that life,” left tackle Liam Eichenberg said.

▪ The Dolphins moved themselves into advanced COVID protocol on Thursday, meaning team meetings are conducted virtually instead of in person.

Eichenberg said there’s one negative with that. “On the computer, there’s a chance guys might not be paying as much attention,” he said. “But in person you can actually show people how to do things better.”

▪ In his bye week media session last week, quarterback Tua Tagovailoa appeared the most relaxed he ever has been as a Dolphin. It reminded me of the easygoing, unburdened demeanor that Tagovailoa displayed when I interviewed him on South Beach before the February 2020 Super Bowl at Hard Rock Stadium.

Tagovailoa shared some personal information last week. He has never been to a Major League Baseball game but has attended two NBA games (a Heat game and a San Antonio Spurs game when he played in the U.S. Army All-American Game).

He has attended one Panthers game, which he enjoyed because “it’s cold. I don’t like being hot.”

He said he hasn’t gone to an Inter Miami game, but “I might have a better chance of going to those games and not being recognized because everyone is so much more focused on the soccer players. It might be more enjoyable to go to those games.”

So he doesn’t like being recognized?

“I just want to enjoy [watching the game]. I don’t go out as much. The reason I don’t is because of that.”

But, he said, “every time my mom is in town, I go out to Winn-Dixie near my house. I get my mom flowers every time she’s in town.”

So do a lot of people approach him? “No. I wear a hoodie, wear a mask and glasses… The cool thing about Miami is that there are a lot of celebrities out there. It’s almost like it’s nonchalant. They see you like ‘oh, that’s Tua. Let’s go eat Subway.’”

What gives him more satisfaction -- nailing a golf shot or connecting on a perfect pass?

“It depends. Is the perfect pass a touchdown? And is the hit going in the hole? I’d take them both if I could.To me, there is nothing better than maybe hitting your 8-iron 160-yards out and you see it land on the green and it starts rolling and it disappears.”

During his media session on Wednesday, Tagovailoa remained in an unbeat mood, noting he got “dosed” (handled) by “a couple of old guys in pickleball” and that he “got to golf” and “go to some games” during his bye weekend.

▪ With Jakeem Grant traded to Chicago earlier this season and Waddle and Holland on the COVID list, the Dolphins have nobody on the 53-man roster who has returned a punt in a game this season.

Albert Wilson is the only player on the 53-man roster who has returned a kickoff in 2021, and he returned only one.

Players with experience as returners, who are options for those roles on Sunday, including receivers Wilson, Preston Williams, and Isaiah Ford and cornerback Noah Igbinoghene.

Here’s my Thursday Dolphins piece with players, a coach and two ESPN analysts explaining a key change made by the Dolphins organization.