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COVID-19 News & Rumors

Patriots Place Sony Michel, Shaq Mason, Derek Rivers On Reserve/COVID-19 List

October 17th, 2020 at 4:52pm CST by Sam Robinson

Just as the Patriots took their two highest-profile players off the reserve/COVID-19 list, they placed three more players on it. Sony Michel, Shaq Mason and Derek Rivers landed on the list Saturday, per Field Yates of ESPN.com (on Twitter).

Michel has tested positive, Jeff Howe of The Athletic reports (on Twitter). Mason and Rivers have not. Although Michel was on New England’s IR list, this is certainly a situation to monitor for the league. The NFL moved the Patriots’ Week 4 game to Monday after Cam Newton‘s positive test surfaced the previous Saturday and postponed the Denver-New England Week 5 game to the following Monday and then, after another Pats positive test emerged Sunday morning, delayed it another week.

Players do not have to test positive for the coronavirus to be placed on teams’ COVID lists; they can land on there if they are deemed close contacts of someone who has tested positive. The Pats took Newton and Stephon Gilmore off their list this week but still have multiple players on it. James Ferentz and defensive end Byron Cowart were already on New England’s COVID list.

Approaching 4pm CT Saturday, the Pats’ Week 6 game against the Broncos remains scheduled for noon Sunday. The NFL was aware of the team’s impending Saturday adjustment to its COVID list, per Tom Pelissero of NFL.com (on Twitter). However, the Pats did not resume practice until Thursday — after their game against the Broncos was moved off its Monday date — and canceled their in-person workouts Friday because of another positive test.

Michel has been on New England’s IR list since before their Week 4 game against the Chiefs; Mason missed Week 4 and was questionable for Week 6. The Pats will be down Mason and Ferentz from their starting O-line on Sunday, should the game remain scheduled. Rivers has played 21% of the Patriots’ defensive snaps this season; the defensive end has 1.5 sacks.

To help with depth, the Pats have elevated tackle Caleb Benenoch, tight end Rashod Berry, defensive end Nick Thurman and wide receiver Isaiah Zuber from their practice squad to their active roster.

Jaguars To Place 12 Practice Squad Players On Reserve/COVID-19 List

October 17th, 2020 at 4:02pm CST by Sam Robinson

The NFL’s expanded coronavirus protocols have resulted in more players landing on teams’ respective reserve/COVID-19 lists. The Jaguars have the most crowded list, as of Saturday afternoon.

The Jags placed 12 of their 16 practice squad players on their reserve/COVID-19 list, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets. This does not yet appear to be a case of a dozen positive tests. Jacksonville P-squad offensive lineman K.C. McDermott tested positive, and the league’s new contact tracing protocols have led the team to put the bulk of its practice squad on the COVID list for the time being.

Here are the players who joined McDermott on the Jags’ reserve/COVID list:

Suspended defensive end Josh Mauro will join McDermott and the slew of P-squad players on the COVID-19 list, Pelissero adds (on Twitter). Mauro has been suspended throughout the season for a positive PED test.

Considering players placed on this list must isolate for five days, the Jaguars will need to make some moves to fill out a practice squad following their Week 6 game. Even players who are asymptomatic after close contact with someone who tested positive for COVID-19 must isolate for at least five days. The Jags face the Chargers next Sunday; there will be several new P-squad players to start their next week of practice.

West Rumors: Broncos, Bell, Rams

October 17th, 2020 at 3:17pm CST by Sam Robinson

Broncos running backs coach Curtis Modkins will not travel with the team to New England for the rescheduled Broncos-Patriots game due to a positive COVID-19 test, the team announced Saturday. Modkins, 49, is in his third season as Denver’s running backs coach. He is not experiencing symptoms from the virus, according to the team, which has performed the customary contact tracing after this positive test. The former Bills and 49ers offensive coordinator is a holdover from the Vance Joseph regime and has been retained despite the Broncos changing OCs the past two offseasons. Modkins has been an NFL assistant since the 2008 season. Modkins’ son, Jett, is a Broncos intern and lives with his father. Jett Modkins will not make the trip either, Troy Renck of Denver7 notes. The Broncos will also be without Melvin Gordon from their backfield mix Sunday.

Here is the latest from the West divisions:

  • Le’Veon Bell‘s Chiefs deal will come with a $1MM base salary, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com tweets. The Dolphins were believed to be offering more money and potentially a multiyear deal, but another report indicated Miami did not dangle two years in its Bell proposal. Bell will have around $1MM more available to him through incentives. One of those incentives will be based around Bell’s workload. Bell’s Chiefs contract, to some degree, lessen the Jets’ burden. They owed the former All-Pro back approximately $6MM after releasing him after five games.
  • Another team’s running backs coach will be out of action as well. Rams RBs coach Thomas Brown blew out his Achilles’ tendon during practice Thursday, Sean McVay confirmed. In his first season as an NFL assistant, Brown joined the Rams’ staff this offseason. The 34-year-old position coach will undergo surgery next week.
  • Drew Lock is set to return as the Broncos‘ quarterback Sunday. He will have far from his optimal group of skill-position players. Phillip Lindsay will play; so will Jerry Jeudy. However, Denver will be down Noah Fant and K.J. Hamler. Fant suffered an ankle injury in Denver’s win over the Jets more than two weeks ago; Hamler reinjured the hamstring he pulled during training camp. Lock was able to target Courtland Sutton when he last played (Week 2), but Denver’s No. 1 wide receiver is out for the season with an ACL tear. Lock will have a difficult task against the Patriots, who will have Stephon Gilmore back after his stay on the team’s reserve/COVID-19 list.

Falcons To Be Without Defensive Lineman, DL Coaches In Week 6 Due To COVID-19

October 17th, 2020 at 2:10pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Falcons are still scheduled to play the Vikings at noon CT on Sunday. But more news is trickling out about their run-in with the coronavirus.

Defensive lineman John Cominsky joined rookie defensive tackle Marlon Davidson on Atlanta’s reserve/COVID-19 list Saturday, and Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets that Cominsky also tested positive for the virus. Additionally, Falcons defensive line coach Tosh Lupoi and assistant D-line coach Jess Simpson have been identified as close Cominsky contacts. They are not traveling with the Falcons to Minnesota.

Cominsky and Davidson are the only Falcons to have tested positive this week. The team moved A.J. Terrell off its COVID-19 list earlier this month. While it would not be surprising if other Falcon D-linemen landed on the COVID list, none have thus far. That has prompted the NFL to keep their game against the Vikings on as scheduled.

The Falcons closed their facility earlier this week and continued to work in a virtual capacity Thursday, but the team reopened its facility after no more positive tests came in the immediate aftermath of Davidson’s. The Falcons are taking two planes to Minnesota and leaving injured players in Atlanta, per Pelissero (on Twitter). This is certainly a situation to monitor ahead of Sunday morning.

Cominsky started in Week 1 for the Falcons but has worked as a reserve in the four games since. However, the second-year defender has played 53% of Atlanta’s defensive snaps. Defensive tackle Chris Slayton and linebacker Edmond Robinson will come up from the practice squad ahead of Sunday’s Vikings tilt.

Ravens Place DT Brandon Williams On Reserve/COVID-19 List

October 17th, 2020 at 1:22pm CST by Sam Robinson

The NFL again changed its policy regarding the reserve/COVID-19 list this week, resulting in more players being eligible to land on it. The Ravens placed their first player on the list since training camp.

Baltimore placed veteran defensive tackle Brandon Williams on the COVID list Saturday, putting him in line to miss Sunday’s game against Philadelphia. The Ravens are now on track to be without Williams and Derek Wolfe against the Eagles. The latter drew a doubtful designation because of a neck injury and a concussion.

Williams was not at Ravens practice Friday, with John Harbaugh indicating he was an excused absence. The 31-year-old defender did not test positive, per Tom Pelissero of NFL.com, but did have close contact with an infected person (Twitter link). The Ravens’ Week 6 game against the Eagles remains a go, per The Athletic’s Jeff Zrebiec (on Twitter). They are traveling to Philadelphia this afternoon.

A former Division II standout, Williams has been a Ravens starter since the 2014 season. The Ravens opted not to let the former third-round pick walk in 2017, re-signing him to a lucrative extension. Williams made the 2018 Pro Bowl and is a key player for a Raven defense that ranks third in DVOA.

It is unclear if Williams has tested positive for the coronavirus, but new protocols implemented this week call for all players who qualify as close contacts of someone who tested positive for COVID-19 to be isolated for at least five days — even if they are asymptomatic.

Jaguars PS Player Tests Positive For COVID-19

October 17th, 2020 at 8:30am CST by Ben Levine

The Jaguars announced that a player on their practice squad has tested positive for COVID-19. As a result, the team will be holding virtual meetings today, and their game against the Lions tomorrow is still expected to be played.

“Last night, we received results from our daily PCR testing that revealed an individual on our practice squad tested positive for COVID-19,” the team said in a statement. “After confirming the positive test, our organization began working with the NFL to review contact tracing data while the player self-isolated.

“As a precautionary measure for today, we made the decision to conduct our football activities remotely while following the NFL protocols and recommendations. This decision was made in consultation with the NFL and the team’s medical advisors. The health and safety of our players, coaches and staff, as well as their families, as our top priority.”

NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero tweets that every member of the organization received rapid-result tests this morning.

While the news isn’t great in Jacksonville, it’s a bit better in New England. ESPN’s Mike Reiss reports that the Patriots opened their team facility on Saturday. The Pats join the Colts and Falcons among teams that have reopened facilities over the past 24 hours. New England canceled practice on Friday after another player tested positive for COVID-19.

Minor NFL Transactions: 10/16/20

October 16th, 2020 at 4:41pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here are Friday’s minor moves:

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Detroit Lions

  • Placed on IR: TE Hunter Bryant

New York Giants

Philadelphia Eagles

  • Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: OL Matt Pryor; Pryor did not test positive for the coronavirus, Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer tweets

Patriots Place C James Ferentz On Reserve/COVID-19 List

October 16th, 2020 at 2:06pm CST by Sam Robinson

Despite the Patriots canceling their Friday practice, their game against the Broncos remains on schedule for noon CT on Sunday. New England, however, will not have its current starting center for that contest.

The Patriots are placing James Ferentz on their reserve/COVID-19 list, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets. The Pats canceled their Friday workout after another positive test. It is not certain if Ferentz tested positive, with players not having to do so to be placed on the COVID list, but this is another setback for the team and a concern for the league.

Ferentz started New England’s Week 4 game in Kansas City for David Andrews, who resides on the Pats’ IR list. While the Patriots are slated to have Cam Newton and Stephon Gilmore back in Week 6, the former will play behind a reconfigured line. Ferentz, a former Bronco in his fourth season with the Patriots, has played in 18 games with his current team and started three.

The Pats placed Andrews on IR in late September; Andrews missed all of last season due to a blood clot issue. New England could use guard Joe Thuney at center and play versatile rookie Michael Onwenu at left guard. Onwenu has already seen action at both guard spots and right tackle, despite being a sixth-round pick. Right guard Shaq Mason got in two limited practices this week. Mason missed Week 4 with a calf injury.

Both the Patriots and Broncos have been informed the game is still on for Sunday, and Adam Schefter of ESPN.com notes no contingency plan currently exists (Twitter link). Were the NFL to delay this game again, no bye week-related fix can be made. The league already postponed this game one week. This obviously remains a situation to monitor over the next two days.

Patriots Cancel Practice Due To COVID-19 Positives

October 16th, 2020 at 11:56am CST by Zachary Links

The Patriots canceled Friday’s practice after another player tested positive for COVID-19, a source tells NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero (on Twitter). They’ve also received another positive on the team, though that test is being rechecked to confirm.

The Pats are going ahead with virtual meetings today, but Sunday’s game against the Broncos is now in flux. That game, of course, was already delayed one week due to previous Patriots positives. Both teams have already burned their bye weeks, so it would be difficult to reschedule the games to be played any later than Monday or Tuesday. Unfortunately, playing the game early next week won’t be an option if the Patriots are not quickly cleared from coronavirus protocols.

Meanwhile, the Colts announced that their previously reported four positives have come back negative after being re-tested. Their game against the Bengals will go on as planned. The Patriots will keep their fingers crossed for a similar outcome. Meanwhile, the league has launched an investigation into their recurring testing issues, which have brought back a number of false positives throughout 2020.

COVID-19 Tests Close Colts’ Facility

October 16th, 2020 at 9:48am CST by Zachary Links

The Colts announced that they have closed their facility in the wake of positive COVID-19 tests. For now, they’ll work remotely as the tests are re-checked for accuracy.

“This morning, we were informed that several individuals within our organization have tested posted for COVID-19,” the team said in a statement. “The team is currently in the process of confirming those tests. In the meantime, the practice facility will be closed and the team will work remotely while following NFL protocols. We are in communication with the NFL and will have more information when available.”

The Colts are currently slated to play the Bengals in Indy on Sunday. Rescheduling the game – as we’ve seen throughout the season – could prove to be tricky. The Colts’ bye is in Week 7; the Bengals’ bye is in Week 9.

Meanwhile, the Falcons’ latest round of testing did not yield any new positives, giving them the greenlight to resume in-person activities. With that, the game between the Falcons and the Vikings is set to go on as scheduled. Ditto for Colts-Bengals, though that could change between now and the end of the business day.

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