Category: COVID-19

Malcolm Jenkins and Juwan Johnson cleared from COVID-19 protocols

Some reinforcements are on the way: Malcolm Jenkins and Juwan Johnson have been cleared from COVID-19 protocols

Some reinforcements are on the way for the New Orleans Saints: starting safety Malcolm Jenkins and backup tight end Juwan Johnson have both been cleared from the COVID-19 reserve list, per Tuesday’s update to the daily NFL transactions wire.

And more help could be on the way ahead of Sunday’s Week 17 game with the Carolina Panthers after the NFL and NFLPA adjusted their protocols to reflect the latest guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Asymptomatic individuals may now return to work after five days, not ten, regardless of vaccination status.

That’s big news for a Saints team that lost to the Miami Dolphins on Monday night in part because of an outbreak that sidelined nearly two dozen players, including their top two quarterbacks and all three starting linebackers, plus an important on-field leader in Jenkins.

It’s frustrating that this change was initiated after the Saints-Dolphins game, but it honestly wouldn’t have made much of a difference for New Orleans. Only two players entered COVID protocols prior to that five-day window which would have allowed them to play, in Johnson and tight end Adam Trautman. All of the other Saints players on the list missed the cut and wouldn’t have cleared protocol in enough time to play on Dec. 27, including Jenkins.

Fortunately they should have ample time to get right in time for Jan. 2’s matchup with Carolina. And with a playoffs berth still within reach, New Orleans needs all the help it can get.

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Chiefs TE Travis Kelce expected to return ahead of Wednesday practice

The #Chiefs expect All-Pro TE Travis Kelce to clear COVID protocols and return to the active roster ahead of Wednesday’s practice per a new report.

The Kansas City Chiefs continue to trend in the right direction with their COVID-19 situation.

After activating a trio of players to the 53-man roster from the Reserve/COVID-19 list on Monday, the Chiefs are expected to get back another big piece that they were missing this past week. According to The Athletic’s Nate Taylor, the Chiefs expect TE Travis Kelce to clear COVID protocols and return to the active roster ahead of their first practice of the week on Wednesday.

Noah Gray filled in admirably for Kelce against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 16, but it looks like they’ll get their star player back for the final two games of the regular season.

Kelce first went on the Reserve/COVID-19 list on Monday, Dec. 20th along with Harrison Butker and Charvarius Ward. He was actually activated from the list on Saturday, Dec. 25th on a technicality. While he hadn’t yet cleared the league’s COVID-19 protocols, the team needed to activate him in order for him to have a chance to test out of the protocols and play against the Steelers on Sunday. That obviously didn’t happen, but Kelce will now make his return for the Week 17 against the Cincinnati Bengals, making a trip back to his home state of Ohio.

Kelce had a monster performance, earning AFC Offensive Player of the Week honors in Week 15 against the Los Angeles Chargers. He’s already managed his sixth consecutive season eclipsing 1,000 receiving yards for Kansas City. With a week off leading up to a game that could help the team clinch the No. 1 seed, it’s safe to be excited about the type of performance that he could have in Cincinnati.

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Jags place 10 active roster players on Reserve/COVID-19 list

Jihad Ward, Andrew Norwell, Brandon Linder, and Malcom Brown are just some of the few notables who have been placed on the Reserve/COVID-19 list recently for the Jags.

The NFL has been dealing with a league-wide COVID-19 outbreak over the last few weeks, but the Jacksonville Jaguars avoided it in the early part of Week 16. However, their Reserve/COVID-19 list started to garner names the closer the team got to their last game against the New York Jets with linebacker Myles Jack, receiver Laviska Shenault Jr., and guard Ben Bartch going on it alongside others.

Now, heading into Week 17’s game against the New England Patriots, the team has placed another wave of active roster players on the list, five of which were on both sides of the ball. They placed one practice squad player on the list, too.

That list of names are as follows:

 

Of the 10 active players that went on the Reserve/COVID-19 list, seven of them have made at least three starts this season. Those players are tight ends Chris Manhertz, Dan Arnold, and Luke Farrell, guard Andrew Norwell, center Brandon Linder, defensive tackle DaVon Hamilton, edge rusher K’Lavon Chaisson, and defensive lineman Malcom Brown.

The returns of the listed players could vary based on their vaccination status. Vaccinated players can return after two negative tests that are 24 hours apart. However, unvaccinated players have to miss at least 10 days.

So far, the only player who has been revealed as an unvaccinated player is Norwell, so it’s guaranteed that he won’t be back for the upcoming game in New England. However, if Bartch is cleared to come back from the Reserve/COVID-19 list, they could start him at right guard and put Will Richardson at left guard in Norwell’s place.

The tight end spot and defensive line will be the key positions to watch as they have multiple members from their respective groups that are listed. At tight end, the Jags are down to two players in Jacob Hollister and James O’Shaughnessy. But if needed, they could activate tight end, Matt Sokol, for this week from the practice squad.

As for the defensive line, the Jags have Doug Costin and Jeremiah Ledbetter on the practice squad to help if needed, too.

Latest update on Chiefs’ COVID-19 situation heading into Week 17

The #Chiefs had some Reserve/COVID-19 activations on Monday, along with some practice squad transactions.

The Kansas City Chiefs continue to trend in the right direction when it comes to their COVID-19 situation. A trio of players including rookie LB Nick Bolton, RT Lucas Niang and OL Kyle Long each appear to have cleared the NFL’s COVID protocols. All three were listed as activated by the team in their reported transactions on Monday.

Bolton and Niang were technically activated on Saturday in hopes they could test out of the protocols on Sunday, but they were ultimately ruled out for the game. Long formally saw activation from the Reserve/COVID-19 list on Monday per the NFL’s official personnel notice.

In addition to the activations for the 53-man roster, the team restored WR Gehrig Dieter to the practice squad. Dieter was one of three practice squad players dealing with COVID-19. In a corresponding move, the team released P Joseph Charlton from the practice squad.

The following players still remain on the Reserve/COVID-19 list:

  • CB Rashad Fenton
  • DB Armani Watts
  • K Harrison Butker
  • P Tommy Townsend
  • LB Darius Harris (PS)
  • WR Daurice Fountain (PS)

Travis Kelce was technically among the players activated on Saturday, but he’s yet to formally clear the NFL’s COVID protocols to our knowledge. He is still tracking to be cleared for Week 17 and that could come any day now. The Chiefs don’t resume practice until Wednesday.

On a day where the NFL saw a record-high number of players placed on the Reserve/COVID-19 list, the Chiefs didn’t have any players added to the list. It signals their outbreak is in the past and that the team shouldn’t have anything more than isolated cases moving forward.

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6 Saints players who must step up amid COVID challenges in Week 16

6 Saints who must step up amid COVID challenges in Week 16, via @KadeKistner:

The New Orleans Saints are hosting the Miami Dolphins in the Caesars Superdome on Monday Night Football. However, due to an outbreak of COVID-19 cases, there are now 21 Saints players slated to miss Monday night’s matchup.

Both of the top two Saints quarterbacks, Taysom Hill and Trevor Siemian, will be absent from the game prompting rookie Ian Book to receive the starting nod. So will members of the supporting case in tight ends Juwan Johnson and Adam Trautman, right tackle Ryan Ramczyk, and wide receiver Deonte Harris. On the defensive side of the ball, all three starting linebackers in Demario Davis, Kwon Alexander, and Kaden Elliss will all be absent after landing on the COVID-19 reserve list..

Those are a lot of playmakers that New Orleans will be down come Monday night, which means that once again, the Saints will have to rely on the next man up. Here are six players that will have to step up and make an impact against the Dolphins in order to keep their playoff hopes alive.

Saints lose Kwon Alexander, several practice squad players to COVID protocol

The Saints are up to 21 players on the COVID-19 reserve list, with Kwon Alexander the sixth starter out for Monday night’s Dolphins game:

Positive COVID-19 tests haven’t slowed down for the New Orleans Saints over the holiday weekend, with five more players sidelined ahead of Monday night’s kickoff with the Miami Dolphins. And the list now includes another starter: linebacker Kwon Alexander, along with three teammates on the practice squad and wide receiver Deonte Harris (who is serving the final week of his NFL suspension and recently changed his name to Deonte Harty).

The Times-Picayune|Advocate’s Jeff Duncan first reported that Alexander tested positive and will enter COVID protocol, knocking him out of the Dolphins game. These losses take the Saints down to just 36 players on the 53-man roster and 13 on the 16-strong practice squad, with three others questionable to play due to injuries (left tackle Terron Armstead, defensive end Marcus Davenport, and wide receiver Tre’Quan Smith).

That means they may have to call up everyone on the practice squad just to dress a 48-man gameday roster. It’s not impossible that some players could be activated in time for the Dolphins game, but it’s very unlikely.

Here is the full list of all 21 Saints players currently on the COVID list, and when they were added to it:

Drew Brees, Philip Rivers declined last-minute recruiting pitches from Saints

Drew Brees, Philip Rivers declined last-minute recruiting pitches from Saints

As first reported by the Times-Picayune | Advocate’s Jeff Duncan and confirmed by NewOrleans.Football’s Nick Underhill, the New Orleans Saints tried to make a big move at quarterback this week after losing Taysom Hill and Trevor Siemian when they entered COVID-19 protocol. Drew Brees was their first choice, but the Saints also called in on recently retired signal-caller Philip Rivers. Unfortunately, both NFL veterans turned them down.

Brees has been busy celebrating the holidays with his family in Hawaii when he’s not busy offering expert commentary on NBC Sports. Rivers finished his first season as a high school football coach in Alabama and also opted to enjoy time at home. The prospect of rushing into the lineup with just a few days of practice, working in an offense short on weapons and missing its bookend All-Pro tackles, wasn’t very enticing.

Duncan adds that the Saints also reached out to Josh McCown — a venerable quarterback who hasn’t taken a snap since 2019, and brother to former New Orleans backup Luke McCown. He also wasn’t interested, prompting the Saints to sign ex-Jacksonville Jaguar Blake Bortles to prop up rookie draft pick Ian Book on Monday night.

It’s far from ideal, but the Saints only have themselves to blame. Rivers’ name was floated back in early November when Jameis Winston first went down with a season-ending knee injury. He voiced interest in coming to New Orleans at the time, but the Saints instead opted to go winless for a month with Trevor Siemian under center before pivoting to an injured Taysom Hill, who managed to get the team back to .500 before COVID sidelined him.

They’ve done too little too late to find an upgrade at quarterback. You can’t blame them for taking a moonshot to try and remain competitive in the thick of the playoff race but it’s really something that should have been explored about two months ago, not four or five days before kickoff.

And it’s tough to interpret this as anything but a no-confidence vote in Ian Book. The rookie was inactive for 12 of 14 games this year including all of Hill’s recent starts. Now erosion to the depth chart is forcing him into his first career start on a roster depleted at nearly every position group. He’s got an uphill battle in front of him, but it’s still telling that the Saints would rather have pushed Brees or Rivers or someone else entirely new through a week of practice rather than someone they spent a fourth-round draft choice on just this year. Whatever the expectations are for Book in New Orleans, let’s hope he exceeds them.

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Dolphins bring up WR Tommylee Lewis for revenge game vs. Saints

Dolphins bring up WR Tommylee Lewis, OL Cameron Tom for revenge game vs. Saints

Oh, here we go. The Miami Dolphins elevated two players from their practice squad as single-game replacements for teammates on the COVID-19 reserve list — and they’re both former members of the New Orleans Saints.

Let’s start with wide receiver Tommylee Lewis. He bounced on and off of the roster in New Orleans a number of times from 2016 to 2021 before trying out for other teams, having been released with an injury designation earlier this year.

Lewis played a bit part in the receiving corps and return game with the Saints, but his most notorious moment came as the targeted receiver in the 2018 NFC championship game no-call. There are still fans that would swear to you if he’d sold his response to the illegal contact better that the referees would have thrown a flag for it (I’m inclined to agree, though I understand the 168-pounder’s thinking to try a no-sell instead).

In any case, Lewis figures to return punts for Miami in the Caesars Superdome on Monday night. He’s totaled 409 punt return yards on 46 tries in his NFL career, all with New Orleans, with a personal-best of 59 yards on a single return back in 2016. The Saints will have their hands full without four of their top six special teamers in snaps played: J.T. Gray, Jeff Heath, Kaden Elliss, and Dwayne Washington (all of them in COVID protocol).

As for the other ex-Saint called up for Week 16: that’s offensive lineman Cameron Tom, the one-time understudy to Max Unger who was supplanted by the arrival of starting center Erik McCoy and his backup Will Clapp. Tom will be the next man up if something happens to Dolphins starter Michael Deiter. Curiously, Miami previously had another former Saints backup in this role — Austin Reiter — who ended up starting five games for them, only to cut him once Deiter returned to the lineup. Reiter spent a week on the Los Angeles Rams practice squad earlier in December but was released again.

But the Saints will be busy managing their own COVID-19 issues regardless of whoever the Dolphins trot out on Monday night. As things currently stand on Saturday evening, New Orleans would have to call up 10 of the 16 players from their practice squad just to fill out a 48-man active roster on game day.

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Saints add DE Carl Granderson to lengthy COVID-19 reserve list

Saints add DE Carl Granderson to lengthy COVID-19 reserve list

Let’s try and spin this as a positive: only one New Orleans Saints player was added to the COVID-19 reserve list on Saturday, with backup defensive end Carl Granderson joining more than a dozen teammates who entered COVID protocols in previous days. Let’s hope he and everyone else, a group totaling 16 of the 69 players under contract (including the practice squad), see a swift return to good health.

Like many of those other losses, Granderson’s absence on its own may not be a huge deal. But if he can’t suit up against the Miami Dolphins on Monday night it would leave the Saints with just two true defensive ends in Cameron Jordan and Marcus Davenport (who is questionable to play while managing shoulder and knee injuries). The usual backups, Granderson and Jalyn Holmes, are both on the COVID list. While eligible, neither Payton Turner nor Tanoh Kpassagnon have been designated to return just yet.

Here is the full list of Saints players on the reserve list as of Saturday’s update to the daily NFL transactions wire, ordered by the date they entered COVID protocols:

  1. TE Juwan Johnson (Dec. 21)

  2. TE Adam Trautman (Dec. 22)

  3. QB Taysom Hill (Dec. 23)

  4. QB Trevor Siemian (Dec. 23)

  5. S Malcolm Jenkins (Dec. 23)

  6. S Jeff Heath (Dec. 23)

  7. OL Jordan Mills (Dec. 23)

  8. OL James Carpenter (Dec. 23)

  9. DT Christian Ringo (Dec. 23)

  10. DE Jalyn Holmes (Dec. 23)

  11. LB Kaden Elliss (Dec. 23)

  12. S J.T. Gray (Dec. 24)

  13. OL Ryan Ramczyk (Dec. 24)

  14. RB Dwayne Washington (Dec. 24)
  15. LB Demario Davis (Dec. 24)
  16. DE Carl Granderson (Dec. 25)

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Latest update on Chiefs’ COVID-19 situation heading into Sunday

#Chiefs WR Tyreek Hill has been cleared to play in Week 16 against the #Steelers, and TE Travis Kelce still has a chance according to a new report.

The latest news on the Kansas City Chiefs’ COVID-19 situation is a mixed bag.

According to a report from ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Chiefs WR Tyreek Hill has officially been cleared to play. He’ll be activated from the Reserve/COVID-19 list ahead of the game. It appears that Travis Kelce will also be activated, but his situation is a bit more tricky.

The Chiefs will activate Kelce from the Reserve/COVID-19 list with the hopes that he’s able to clear the NFL’s return-to-play protocols on Sunday, with him taking multiple COVID-19 tests on Sunday morning ahead of the Week 16 game against the Steelers.

 

Below are the players who are currently remaining on the Reserve/COVID-19 list for Kansas City and the date on which they were placed on the list:

  • WR Gehrig Dieter (PS) – 12/18
  • K Harrison Butker – 12/20
  • CB Rashad Fenton – 12/21
  • LB Nick Bolton – 12/21
  • RT Lucas Niang – 12/21
  • DB Armani Watts – 12/21
  • OL Kyle Long – 12/21
  • WR Daurice Fountain (PS) – 12/21
  • LB Darius Harris (PS) – 12/21
  • OT Mike Remmers (IR) – 12/22
  • P Tommy Townsend – 12/24

We’ll keep you updated if there are any new activations made from this list when the NFL’s personnel notice is released later today.

The team will have to wait until the Week 17 game against the Cincinnati Bengals to get some of these players back should they be able to test out of the league’s COVID protocols.

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