The Panthers announced Monday morning that starting right guard John Miller has been placed on the reserve/Covid-19 list. This designation is given to players who have tested positive or have been in close contact with someone who has tested positive for Covid-19.
This is certainly not an ideal situation for a squad that already has questions about depth along the line. If Miller tested positive for Covid-19 he could rejoin the team and be available Sunday if he is vaccinated, asymptomatic and has two negative test results 24 hours apart. If Miller is one of the few unvaccinated players on the team and has tested positive for the virus he would be out at least 10 days.
If Miller is vaccinated and came in close contact with someone who tested positive he can still participate in team activities, but will be subjected to daily testing. If he is unvaccinated and came in close contact with someone who tested positive he would have to quarantine for at least five days and test negative during that period. We don’t know what Miller’s vaccination status is.
So what does this mean for the Panthers as they prepare for their season-opener against the Jets? What will the Panthers do if John Miller isn’t available? Rookie Deonte Brown is listed behind Miller on the team’s official depth chart, but I wouldn’t imagine Rhule would put him in as a starter week-one. The more likely solution would be sliding backup left guard Dennis Daley, who Rhule spoke favorably about during camp and who started 3 games last year before being placed on injured reserve, in at right guard.
*****Update*****
During Monday’s press conference Matt Rhule said John Miller has officially been ruled OUT for the season opener and Dennis Daley will start in his place.