UPDATE, 3:45pm: The Browns have placed fullback Andy Janovich on the reserve/COVID-19 list, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network tweets, which would seem to suggest he’s the player who tested positive.
12:34 pm: Cases of COVID-19 continue to trickle in throughout the league, and the Browns are the latest to be hit by the virus. Cleveland is closing their facility after a player tested positive Monday morning, the team announced in a tweet. This news comes just a few days after the Browns were originally cleared to reopen their facility following offensive lineman Chris Hubbard‘s positive test.
By now the drill is more or less routine. The Browns will have their facility closed while they conduct contact tracing and identify any close contacts. Players who are close contacts with the infected player will then likely go on the reserve/COVID-19 list as well, although they can still play this coming week as long as they test negative for five days in a row. Speaking to the media on Monday, head coach Kevin Stefanski declined to say whether the player played on Sunday against the Texans.
Assuming he did, Houston will then likely have to go into an intensive protocol as well around their facility. There’s no word yet on who the player on the Browns is, but we’ll pass that along as soon as it’s reported. Cleveland improved to 6-3 yesterday with their victory over the Texans.