The Final Dolphins-Bengals Injury Report And What It Means

The Miami Dolphins didn't answer many questions definitively with their final injury report before their game against the Cincinnati Bengals at Hard Rock Stadium on Sunday — and that includes the status of quarterback Tua Tagovailoa.

The one item that surfaced out of nowhere involved running back Matt Breida and was placed on the Reserve/COVID-19 list later in the afternoon. His status is just of many involving the running back position, but the focus clearly has been on Tagovailoa and his injured thumb.

As was the case last week for the game against the New York Jets, Tagovailoa was listed as questionable on the final injury report of the week after head coach Brian Flores said he wanted to look at film of practice before making a final decision.

Tagovailoa, who sustained his injury in practice nine days ago, was downgraded to doubtful last Saturday before being inactive for the game against the Jets.

Veteran Ryan Fitzpatrick would make his eighth start of the season if Tagovailoa can't play against the Bengals.

The Dolphins did list two players as doubtful for the game against Cincinnati, both of them running backs. One is Salvon Ahmed, who missed the game against the Jets with a shoulder injury, and the other is DeAndre Washington, who is nursing a hamstring injury he sustained in the 20-3 victory at MetLife Stadium last Sunday.

With Myles Gaskin still on injured reserve with the knee injury that caused him to miss the past four games, the only running back on the active roster with no significant health issues is Patrick Laird. The Dolphins, of course, could activate Gaskin off injured reserve for him to play against the Bengals.

Three other players were listed as questionable, including guard Solomon Kindley, who missed the Jets game with a foot injury. Kindley practiced on a limited basis all week.

The other player who was listed as questionable was running back/wide receiver Malcolm Perry, who is nursing a chest injury. Perry, who left the game against the Jets in the first quarter, was limited in practice the past two days after sitting out Wednesday.

Perry's absence likely would mean a bigger role for Lynn Bowden Jr., who got additional snaps after Perry left the Jets game last week.

The Bengals ruled out two players Friday, including starting guard Alex Redmond, who is dealing with a concussion. The other is cornerback Tony Brown (hamstring).

Among the seven players listed as questionable is defensive back Brandon Wilson, who had a 103-yard kickoff return for a touchdown against the New York Giants last week.