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COVID-19 News & Rumors

COVID-19 Latest: Groy, Titans, Super Bowl

October 29th, 2020 at 4:31pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Chargers became the latest team to close their facility because of COVID-19. Center Ryan Groy tested positive for the coronavirus, leading the Bolts to shut down in-person activities Thursday (Twitter links via ESPN’s Adam Schefter and The Athletic’s Daniel Popper). The Chargers announced they received notice of the positive test Wednesday night and have identified close contacts.

This marks the Chargers’ first positive test since the start of training camp, though Anthony Lynn said he contracted the virus in the offseason. Lynn said he has not heard from the NFL regarding a rescheduling of Sunday’s Chargers-Broncos game. Groy, however, will not make the trip to Denver. The ex-Bill has started the past three games for a Bolts team that has dealt with a litany of injuries up front. Mike Pouncey will not play this season, and 2020 acquisitions Trai Turner and Bryan Bulaga have played all of eight snaps together, with the former missing all but one game and the latter being sidelined for three.

Here is the latest from the COVID-19 front:

  • Super Bowl LV will present an atypical visual compared to the 54 prior Super Bowls. The NFL is planning its signature event to feature Raymond James Stadium at 20% capacity. This will mean approximately 15,000 fans will be present at the Tampa venue. Fans will be arranged in pods at least six feet apart, per Kevin Seifert of ESPN.com. Additionally, the NFL is not planning to move Super Bowl LV off its Feb. 7 date — even if a Week 18 makeup window is necessary. The league would eliminate the extra week between the conference championship games and Super Bowl LV in that event.
  • The NFL did not come down especially hard on the Titans for violating COVID-19 protocols, with Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero of NFL.com reporting the league levied a $350K fine. No Titans coaches or staffers will face individual discipline, but the team will incur increased punishment if further violations occur. The Titans, whose outbreak led to 24 positive cases and multiple changes to the NFL schedule, violated mask protocols at their facility and held unsanctioned practices while they were barred from entering their building.
  • While Monday’s Giants-Buccaneers game remains on as scheduled, both teams experienced COVID-19 issues Thursday.

Giants Place Will Hernandez On Reserve/COVID-19 List

October 29th, 2020 at 2:00pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Giants will face the red-hot Buccaneers without at least one starting offensive lineman. They are placing left guard Will Hernandez on their reserve/COVID-19 list, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets.

A positive coronavirus test prompted the Giants to then send all but four of their offensive linemen home from their facility Thursday, Pelissero and NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport note (via Twitter). Two coaches — defensive backs coach Jerome Henderson and outside linebackers coach Bret Bielema — joined them, according to Rapoport and NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo (on Twitter).

None of the other O-linemen, however, are considered to be high-risk close contacts of Hernandez at this point. That status would allow them to return to the team’s facility by Friday, provided they submit two consecutive negative COVID-19 tests. As for Hernandez, he is believed to be asymptomatic, Paul Schwartz of the New York Post tweets.

Hernandez will be miss the Giants’ Monday tilt against the Bucs, but this situation looks to differ slightly from last week’s development in Las Vegas. The Raiders-Bucs game was rescheduled because the team quarantined its starting offensive line for five days, but Las Vegas placed all five blockers on its reserve/COVID list. As of now, Hernandez is the only Giants player to be placed on their respective list.

Additionally, a Bucs equipment staffer tested positive for COVID-19, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). The Bucs sent that staffer home, but The Athletic’s Greg Auman notes this has not yet affected players or coaches (Twitter link).

While both teams now have issues to monitor, Monday night’s game is not currently on the verge of being rescheduled. Monday will, however, be Hernandez’s first missed start as a pro. The former second-round pick has been a Giants starter since his debut in Week 1 of the 2018 season.

Minor NFL Transactions: 10/28/20

October 28th, 2020 at 5:40pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here are Wednesday’s minor moves:

Houston Texans

  • Activated from IR: WR Isaiah Coulter

Los Angeles Rams

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

New York Jets

Texans Close Facility After COVID-19 Positive

October 28th, 2020 at 3:35pm CST by Zachary Links

3:35pm: Guard Max Scharping tested positive for the coronavirus, Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle reports. The Texans placed him on the reserve/COVID-19 list. A 2019 second-round pick, Scharping worked as a starter for most of last season and in this season’s first three games. He has since played as a backup.

10:15am: The Texans will close their team facility following a player’s positive test for COVID-19, per a club announcement. The Texans are currently on their bye week, but they’ll be closely monitoring test results between now and their Week 9 contest against the Jaguars.

[RELATED: Texans’ Romeo Crennel On Trade Speculation]

“Late last night, we received notice that a Texans player tested positive for COVID-19,” said the Texans in a statement. “In accordance with NFL protocols, the player immediately self-isolated and our Infection Control Officer and other members of the Infection Response Team began working with the NFL to perform contact tracing. Our facility will be closed today to players for deep cleaning. We are in close consultation with the NFL, as well as our team of independent doctors and specialists, and will follow their guidance regarding our scheduled bye week operations. The health and safety of our team, as well as our entire staff, are of highest priority.”

The Texans fell to 1-6 with their loss to the Packers on Sunday in Houston. As of this writing, the Packers have not received word of any positive tests.

Ryquell Armstead Done For Year Due To COVID-19

October 25th, 2020 at 6:10pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

For most NFL players who have tested positive for COVID-19, it has meant an absence of a game or two followed by a relatively quick return. Unfortunately that’s not going to be the case for Jaguars running back Ryquell Armstead.

Armstead is still dealing with complications from the virus and is not expected to play again this season, sources told Adam Schefter of ESPN.com. It’s a scary situation, as Schefter reports that Armstead has been hospitalized twice and has had significant respiratory issues. The same sources did say that Armstead is expected to make a full recovery in time for the 2021 season, which is great news.

Obviously there are things more important than football, and thankfully it sounds like Armstead is going to be alright. After Leonard Fournette was cut it initially looked like Armstead was set to take over as Jacksonville’s starting running back, but obviously that hasn’t happened.

Instead James Robinson has taken over that role and thrived in it. A 2019 fifth-round pick out of Temple, Armstead appeared in all 16 games as a rookie with the Jags last year, starting one. He turned 35 carries into 108 yards, and added 14 receptions for another 144 and two scores. Here’s to hoping his recovery is as swift as possible.

Raiders Remove 4 O-Linemen From Reserve/COVID-19 List

October 25th, 2020 at 7:45am CST by Sam Robinson

Oct 25: Saturday’s COVID-19 tests for Miller, Good, Hudson, and Jackson came back negative, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports (via Twitter). All four will be available for the Raiders’ battle with the Bucs this afternoon.

Oct. 24: As of Saturday afternoon, the NFL has avoided another major schedule issue. Sunday afternoon’s Raiders-Buccaneers game is a go, and the hosts could well be better equipped to pull an upset.

The Raiders removed offensive linemen Kolton Miller, Denzelle Good, Rodney Hudson and Gabe Jackson from their reserve/COVID-19 list Saturday. The team had placed its other four starting O-linemen on the list because they were deemed high-risk close contacts of Trent Brown, who tested positive for the coronavirus this week.

Brown will miss Sunday’s game, but his blocking mates are on track to play. However, they will not be officially cleared to do so until their Saturday coronavirus tests come back clean, Mike Garafolo of NFL.com tweets. The team will obtain that information Sunday. Its four non-Brown O-line starters receiving clearance will certainly help Las Vegas’ cause against a Tampa Bay defense ranked first in DVOA through six games.

Recently signed defensive lineman David Irving is also set to make his Raiders debut. Reinstated from an 18-plus-month suspension just last week, Irving signed with the Raiders as a practice squad player. The Raiders will see what the former Cowboys starter can do beginning Sunday. Irving, 27, has not played since the 2018 season, when he saw action in only two games, and has been suspended four times by the NFL. In 2017, however, the interior pass rusher notched seven sacks in just eight games (all starts).

Minor NFL Transactions: 10/24/20

October 24th, 2020 at 4:48pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here is another spree of Saturday minor moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Buffalo Bills

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

  • Moved from IR to reserve/COVID-19 list: CB Michael Joseph

Cincinnati Bengals

Dallas Cowboys

Green Bay Packers

Jacksonville Jaguars

Kansas City Chiefs

Las Vegas Raiders

  • Promoted: CB Dylan Mabin

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

New York Jets

  • Activated from IR: OL Cameron Clark
  • Promoted: K/P Sergio Castillo, LB Bryce Hager

Pittsburgh Steelers

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Tennessee Titans

Washington Football Team

Bills Place Dawson Knox On Reserve/COVID-19 List

October 24th, 2020 at 2:14pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Bills have run into COVID-19 trouble. They are placing Dawson Knox on their reserve/COVID-19 list. The second-year tight end tested positive for the coronavirus, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets. The Bills confirmed the positive test.

Fellow Buffalo tight ends Tommy Sweeney, Lee Smith and Nate Becker (practice squad) have been identified as close contacts and will also miss Sunday’s game against the Jets. Sweeney was already on Buffalo’s PUP list.

The game remains on for noon CT Sunday, however. Tyler Kroft and Reggie Gilliam are the other tight ends on the Bills’ roster. Buffalo promoted four players from its practice squad — guard Jordan Devey, linebacker Andre Smith, cornerback Dane Jackson and wide receiver Duke Williams — but has not made any other moves at tight end.

This game becomes the latest to monitor as one that could cause a schedule change. The timing is similar to Cam Newton‘s positive test weeks ago, and with the league’s beefed-up protocols in the wake of Newton’s positive and the Titans’ outbreak, the Bills will be extremely shorthanded at tight end. A rookie UDFA, Gilliam was already on Buffalo’s active roster along with Knox, Smith and Kroft. The Bills have Kroft and Gilliam available at the position ahead of Sunday’s Jets rematch. The latter has yet to play in a game.

Kroft’s wife going into labor and delivering the couple’s baby Friday morning led to the veteran tight end being spared from this chain reaction, per Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Kroft attended Bills practice Friday, but Schefter notes his missing position meetings allowed him to avoid getting caught up in this potential outbreak. A former Bengals draftee, Kroft signed with the Bills last year. Knox and Kroft each have six catches this season — most among Bills tight ends; the latter has scored two touchdowns.

Raiders, Saints Have No New COVID-19 Positives

October 24th, 2020 at 9:52am CST by Ben Levine

Good news out of Las Vegas and New Orleans. There were no new positives for the Raiders and Saints during the latest round of testing, reports NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (via Twitter). This means that both the Raiders-Buccaneers game (which had previously been moved from Sunday night to Sunday afternoon) and the Saints-Panthers game are on track to be played (per Ben Volin of the Boston Globe on Twitter).

Raiders lineman Trent Brown and cornerback Damon Arnette tested positive for COVID-19 earlier this week. Players who had been in close contact with that duo, including the entire offensive line (Kolton Miller, Denzelle Good, Rodney Hudson and Gabe Jackson), were sent home from the team facility on Wednesday. These high-risk contacts needed to isolate for five days, but considering they were last in contact with Brown or Arnette on Monday, they could all end up playing on Sunday. Safety Johnathan Abram, who was also sent home, had his last contact on Tuesday, so he won’t be allowed to play this weekend.

We also learned this week that the NFL and NFLPA were investigating the Raiders for COVID-19 compliance. Jarrett Bell of USA Today provided more details on the investigation, noting that the previously reported video “revealed violations of “intensive protocol” measures during practices that included several players not wearing masks or face shields and not adhering to social distancing on the sidelines.” As a result, Bell opines that the Raiders are “seemingly on the verge” of being punished by the league.

In New Orleans, wideout Emmanuel Sanders was placed on the Saints’ reserve/COVID-19 list yesterday. Katherine Terrell of The Athletic tweets that the organization tested about 20 players who had come into contact with Sanders. Cornerback Ken Crawley, who tested negative but was exposed, was also placed on the COVID-19 list.

Minor NFL Transactions: 10/23/20

October 23rd, 2020 at 6:06pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here are Friday’s minor moves:

Carolina Panthers

New Orleans Saints

Pittsburgh Steelers

  • Promoted: DE Henry Mondeaux
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