Tag: covid-19 protocols

CeeDee Lamb among 3 Cowboys added to COVID protocol ahead of next round of cuts

CeeDee Lamb, Malik Hooker, and Israel Mukuamu have been added to the team’s COVID/Reserve list, bringing the total number of names to five. | From @ToddBrock24f7

Three more names were added to the Cowboys’ COVID/Reserve list on Monday. That brings the total number to five after defensive coordinator Dan Quinn and defensive tackle Carlos Watkins were late COVID scratches in the lead-up to Saturday’s preseason game versus the Houston Texans. Both left AT&T Stadium before kickoff “out of an abundance of caution,” the team said.

News of the new additions came as head coach Mike McCarthy was wrapping up a Monday afternoon press conference in which he stated that three players would now be placed on the list.

Wide receiver CeeDee Lamb, safety Malik Hooker, and rookie safety Israel Mukuamu will now enter COVID-19 protocol.

What happens next for each of the individuals on the list depends on the person’s vaccination status. According to Calvin Watkins of the Dallas Morning News, Lamb is fully vaccinated. Watkins added in a subsequent tweet that Hooker has had one vaccination shot and was waiting for his second.

The news comes with six days to go before the team’s final preseason game, on Sunday against Jacksonville. Of significantly more concern is the Week 1 opener on September 9th. The situation bears a close watch as the club will work to ensure that all players are ready to suit up against the defending Super Bowl champs.

But the COVID news does add a wrinkle to the next round of roster cuts, due to the league office Tuesday afternoon.

The Cowboys had already moved to a virtual format on Sunday in response to Quinn and Watkins entering COVID protocol. As per Jori Epstein of USA Today, the team met virtually on Monday to watch game film from the Texans loss.

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News: COVID forced late shakeup for Cowboys before Texans game, Dak’s progress, game coverage

The Cowboys were a mixed bag in the Houston loss, while COVID concerns caused a late swap for a key coach, and Dak Prescott aced pregame. | From @ToddBrock24f7

The Cowboys were calling their preseason meeting with Houston a “dress rehearsal” for the regular season. Saturday night showed that some of the cast in Dallas isn’t quite ready for the curtain to go up on this show. The first half provided some encouraging moments from Cooper Rush, Tony Pollard, Cedrick Wilson, and the Cowboys defense, but Ben DiNucci’s poor performance throughout the second half overshadowed the good stuff in a 20-14 loss.

The best bit of news from Saturday night? Dak Prescott’s warmup workout should give Cowboys fans a boost. The quarterback was nearly perfect, despite reports floating around from one notable insider who is questioning his health. Speaking of health, Dan Quinn and Carlos Watkins are suddenly in the COVID-19 spotlight in what will be a developing story over the next few days and weeks. All that, plus a profile on perhaps the most mysterious Cowboys player currently on the roster, clues from Stephen Jones about the backup quarterback situation, Jason Witten kicks off his Friday night football gig, and Emmitt Smith looks to help others lead the field in his latest sporting venture. Here are the News and Notes from a busy Saturday.

Cowboys may be heading to camp without reaching vaccination threshold

Unless a surge of vaccinations took place in the last several days, the Cowboys may not enjoy relaxed COVID-19 protocols in camp.

The summer desert is almost over. The Dallas Cowboys will report to training camp in less than a week’s time, and all will finally be right with the world. Sort of. Part of the NFL’s push to have full activities for all of their clubs is a push to have all of their clubs meet a vaccination threshold.

Monday, the league reported seven of the 32 clubs have met the 85% vaccination threshold (that number is now up to 10). According to USA Today’s Jori Epstein, the Cowboys may not be one of them, and aren’t expected to be by time they leave Texas for Oxnard, CA. Unless they’ve had a rash of vaccinations (no pun intended) in the last four days, they will not be functioning under relaxed protocols once they arrive.

As has just been witnessed by the postponing of the second-half kickoff MLB game between the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox, COVID-19 infections within pro teams are still a thing. Aaron Judge was among six positive tests, and he is only two days removed from the All-Star game in Colorado. Washington Wizards’ guard Bradley Beal just saw his dreams of competing in the Olympics dashed as well.

In the NFL, teams which reach the 85% vaccination threshold have extremely lessened restrictions on how they can move and operate. The details, just like who and who isn’t vaccinated, are sketchy, but baseball’s threshold included things like being able to eat out on the road, locker room proximity and being maskless in shared spaces.

Teams above the threshold will have fewer restrictions once camps open. Pelissero added that 71% of players league-wide have had at least one shot on Monday and as of Thursday that number had increased to 73%.

Two weeks ahead of most training camp reporting dates, Monday was the deadline for players to get their second shot (or a single shot of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine) to clear the window to be considered fully vaccinated.

The restrictions for non-vaccinated players — including daily testing (even during byes), masks, limits on the number of players in rooms, not being able to eat in the cafeteria, etc. — are significant. It will be interesting to see if players who have declined to get the vaccine will change course once training camps open and they see the restrictions firsthand.

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