COVID-19 News & Rumors

Steelers Place QB Ben Roethlisberger On Reserve/COVID-19 List

On Saturday evening, the Steelers announced that they were placing quarterback Ben Roethlisberger on the reserve/COVID-19 list. As a result, Roethlisberger will miss the club’s game against the Lions this afternoon.

According to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com, the 39-year-old passer self-reported COVID symptoms to the team and subsequently tested positive for the virus (Twitter link). As Mark Maske of the Washington Post tweets, Roethlisberger is vaccinated, so he is eligible to be removed from the COVID list as soon as he returns two negative tests taken 24 hours apart. That gives him a good chance to suit up for what could be a critical bout with the Chargers next Sunday.

For today, QB2 Mason Rudolph will get the nod in Roethlisberger’s place (Twitter link via Rapoport). Rudolph, a 2018 third-rounder, has not played a significant snap since Week 16 of the 2019 season — he started a meaningless Week 17 game last year — and he boasts a 5-4 career record as a starter, a record that is accompanied by a subpar 82.7 career quarterback rating.

However, if the Steelers could pick a game for Roethlisberger to miss this year, today’s matchup would probably be the one they would pick. The 0-8 Detroit outfit is ranked in the bottom quarter of the league in terms of yards allowed per game, and next-to-last in terms of points allowed per game. Plus, Rudolph does get regular opportunities to run the first-team offense in practice, so Pittsburgh should not need to limit its playbook in any way.

The Steelers have won four in a row to bring themselves squarely into the AFC playoff picture. During that streak, Roethlisberger — whose early-season struggles prompted speculation about his job security — is averaging over 200 passing yards per game, has thrown six TDs, zero interceptions, and has posted a 104.6 QB rating (h/t Aditi Kinkhabwala of the NFL Network on Twitter).

Minor NFL Transactions: 11/13/21

Here are Saturday’s minor moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Carolina Panthers

Cincinnati Bengals

Cleveland Browns

Dallas Cowboys

  • Activated from PUP list: DT Trysten Hill
  • Promoted: K Lirim Hajrullahu

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

Indianapolis Colts

Kansas City Chiefs

Las Vegas Raiders

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

New York Jets

Pittsburgh Steelers

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

Washington Football Team

Minor NFL Transactions: 11/12/21

We’ll keep track of today’s minor moves here:

Denver Broncos

Minnesota Vikings

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Washington Football Team

Broncos OC Pat Shurmur In COVID-19 Protocols, Unlikely To Coach In Week 10

Coming off their best performance of the season, the Broncos are unlikely to have their play-caller for Week 10’s follow-up effort. Pat Shurmur is in the team’s COVID-19 protocols, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL.com (on Twitter).

Denver’s offensive coordinator for the past two seasons, Shurmur is not expected to be with the team when it faces the Eagles on Sunday. This opens a clear play-calling void for the Broncos, who have won two straight to reach 5-4. Shurmur tested positive for COVID-19, Vic Fangio said Friday.

Shurmur’s former lieutenant with the Giants, Mike Shula, looms as a clear prospect to call plays. Shula has been the Broncos’ quarterbacks coach for the past two seasons. While Shula served as Shurmur’s OC with the Giants from 2018-19, he spent the previous five seasons calling the Panthers’ plays as their OC. With that stint including Carolina’s 15-1 season, Shula certainly makes sense as an emergency play-caller here.

Shula will relay plays to Teddy Bridgewater, per Fangio (via 9News’ Mike Klis, on Twitter). It should then be expected the former OC will call plays Sunday, though Fangio said Friday he is not certain who will do so.

The Broncos also have former head coach Mike Munchak as their offensive line coach and ex-OC Curtis Modkins coaching running backs, giving the team other options for Sunday. The Broncos certainly will not be the first to go into a game without their play-caller due to COVID, with the Browns and Cardinals having also done so since the pandemic began.

Denver has run into a few coronavirus issues recently, one of which sidelining Noah Fant for last week’s game in Dallas. Fant and guard Netane Muti are off the team’s COVID list, though linebacker Justin Strnad, offensive lineman Austin Schlottmann and IR-stationed cornerback Michael Ojemudia were placed on the list this week. Drew Lock also tested positive in Dallas and flew back to Denver separately Sunday.

Minor NFL Transactions: 11/10/21

Here are Wednesday’s minor moves, with the list being updated throughout the day:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Carolina Panthers

Cincinnati Bengals 

Cleveland Browns

Dallas Cowboys

  • Signed: K Lirim Hajrullahu

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Indianapolis Colts

Las Vegas Raiders

Miami Dolphins

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Tennessee Titans

Bills Move OL Jon Feliciano To IR

Jon Feliciano will miss some time for the Bills, who placed the starting guard on IR. A calf injury will sideline Feliciano for at least the next three games.

The veteran blocker has established himself as a steady starter in Buffalo, after having been a four-year Raiders backup. The Bills have used Feliciano as a first-stringer in all 31 games during his tenure, but injuries have intervened in each of the past two seasons.

Feliciano missed a game earlier this year and was down for nearly half of last season. A torn pec sustained last summer delayed Feliciano’s 2020 season by seven games, but he did not miss any time after returning to Buffalo’s lineup.

The Bills have some depth up front, but both Feliciano and rookie Spencer Brown — a third-round rookie who has started the past three games — are out for Sunday’s game against the Jaguars. Brown is not on Buffalo’s IR, but the small-school product will miss Week 9 due to a calf injury. Cody Ford and Ike Boettger remain healthy guard options for the AFC East leaders. While Ford, Boettger and Brown have each been part-time starters, Feliciano has not given up his starting spot.

In addition to the Feliciano move, the Bills placed Mitchell Trubisky on their reserve/COVID-19 list. Trubisky has served as Josh Allen‘s backup this season. Davis Webb will play that role Sunday, being bumped up from the practice squad. Jake Fromm remains on Buffalo’s coronavirus list. The Bills also elevated offensive lineman Jamil Douglas and tight end Quintin Morris from their practice squad.

Latest On Aaron Rodgers, Packers

In his latest appearance on the Pat McAfee Show, Aaron Rodgers said he experienced COVID-19 symptoms before and after his positive test. This casts further doubt about his availability for the Packers’ Week 10 game.

An unvaccinated player must be away from his team for 10 days after experiencing symptoms. Rodgers, who tested positive Wednesday, said symptoms were present Tuesday, via Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, and added that he did not feel well as late as Thursday. The Packers host the Seahawks next week. News of Rodgers’ positive test will thrust Jordan Love into the spotlight against the Chiefs.

Rodgers, 37, violated NFL protocols by speaking to media without a mask in-person. While the 17th-year quarterback said he followed all protocols while in the team’s facility, he admitted he did not follow the one regarding media availability. With the players having agreed to protocols before the season, Rodgers may be set for a fine for not adhering to them.

Rodgers said Aug. 26 he’d been “immunized” but added Friday that if a follow-up question came at that point, he would have indicated he did not receive a vaccine dose. Rodgers said the NFL was fully aware of his choice to go through the season unvaccinated. While the future Hall of Famer said he petitioned the league to authorize an exemption that would essentially count him as vaccinated due to the homeopathic treatment he received, no such exemption was given, according to The Athletic. Rodgers himself did not petition the league, according to the Washington Post’s Mark Maske, who notes a Packers employee made the inquiry (Twitter links).

When Rodgers appealed the NFL’s ruling, he said one of the league’s doctors communicated to him a vaccinated person could not contract COVID or spread it. The NFL countered Friday by responding (via Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio, on Twitter), “No doctor from the league or the joint NFL-NFLPA infectious disease consultants communicated with the player. If they had, they certainly would have never said anything like that.”

This, of course, follows a turbulent offseason in which Rodgers requested a trade and skipped Packers offseason activities. The parties agreed to a revised contract, making the three-time MVP a 2023 free agent, but his long-term status in Green Bay is murky. Rodgers’ positive COVID test does not stand to help matters for the Packers. When asked if he planned on listening to Rodgers’ interview with McAfee, Matt LaFleur said he most likely would not (via Silverstein, on Twitter).

Regardless of the plot points that led to the present circumstances, the Packers are without one of the NFL’s best players amid a push for the NFC’s only playoff bye. Based largely on Rodgers’ play, the Packers earned a bye in each of LaFleur’s two seasons. Although they did not have Love when Rodgers was last absent, the Pack went 3-7 in games their starting QB did not complete in 2017. Three other NFC teams enter Week 9 with one loss, with the Buccaneers sitting at 6-2. With Rodgers out, the 7-1 Packers are now 7.5-point underdogs against the Chiefs. His absence against the Seahawks would create another hurdle for a team already missing its top two defensive players.

Packers Activate Davante Adams From Reserve/COVID-19 List

While the Packers will not have the reigning MVP in their lineup against the Chiefs, they will see their top skill-position talent return. Davante Adams is off Green Bay’s reserve/COVID-19 list.

Aaron Rodgers is out for at least Week 9 due to his positive coronavirus test. The superstar quarterback is not vaccinated, putting his Week 10 status against the Seahawks in doubt. Adams, however, is vaccinated and had a simpler avenue to return after missing just one game.

Despite Adams missing Week 8, he still has a 500-plus-yard lead on any other Packers pass catcher. Through seven games, Adams has 744 receiving yards. The next-closest Packer — Aaron Jones — has 237 through the air. Adams, 28, is thriving in a contract year. He and the Packers broke off talks before the season started, and the All-Pro’s performance thus far continues to point him to a monster contract — or a franchise tag — in 2022.

The Packers won last week without Adams, Allen Lazard and Marquez Valdes-Scantling. All three may be in uniform in Kansas City. Lazard’s COVID-19 close-contact period ended last week, and Green Bay designated MVS to return to practice this week. Given the extra 10-day rest Valdes-Scantling will have had after being sidelined for the team’s Thursday game, it is a good best the deep threat will be back in Week 9. Green Bay’s top receivers re-emerging will certainly benefit first-time starter Jordan Love.

Aaron Rodgers Ruled Out After Positive COVID Test  

Aaron Rodgers will miss Sunday’s game against the Chiefs after testing positive for COVID-19 (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero). With Rodgers sidelined, Jordan Love is now set to start under center. 

The Packers have been rolling ever since their brutal season opener against the Saints. They’re riding a seven-game winning streak, thanks in large part to the reigning MVP. Rodgers has completed 67.1% of his passes thus far for 1,894 yards and 17 touchdowns with only three interceptions. While the Packers are standing tall at 7-1, the Chiefs are treading water at 4-4. A Rodgers-less matchup could very well provide a boost to Patrick Mahomes & Co.

This will mark Love’s first start as a pro and his first significant NFL action. Love didn’t play as a rookie and he’s attempted just seven throws in total, completing five of them for 68 yards.

Rodgers, 38 in December, led the league in completion percentage (70.7%) and passing touchdowns (48) last year. Father Time didn’t slow him down, nor did his offseason of drama with Packers management. He will, however, miss at least one game as he goes through the league’s COVID-19 protocols.