Bears S Eddie Jackson placed on reserve/COVID-19 list

The Bears have placed safety Eddie Jackson on the reserve/COVID-19 list, although he still has a chance to play on Sunday.

The Chicago Bears exited their bye week with some bad news on the COVID-19 front. Safety Eddie Jackson was placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list on Monday afternoon, the team announced.

The good news is according to Adam Hoge of NBC Sports Chicago, Jackson did not test positive and the exposure came from someone away from the team facility.

If Jackson continues to test negative, he can be removed from the list later this week and be eligible to play in Sunday’s primetime matchup against the Green Bay Packers.

According to Larry Mayer of Chicagobears.com, Jackson is the eighth Bears player to be placed on the list this season.

Jackson has played in every game for the Bears in 2020 and has 58 tackles with three forced fumbles, one fumble recovery, and a touchdown. If he is unable to come off the list, safeties Deon Bush and DeAndre Houston-Carson would see additional playing time in his absence.

Bears Wire will continue to monitor and update this story as more information is released.

Ravens place QB Trace McSorley on Reserve/COVID-19 list

Baltimore Ravens quarterback Trace McSorley made his way to the Reserve/COVID-19 list Friday per the NFL’s transaction report.

The Baltimore Ravens moved third-string quarterback Trace McSorley to the Reserve/COVID-19 list on Friday, according to the NFL’s transaction list. The move comes after McSorley had been on the injury report as missing practice Thursday for a non-injury-related reason and was left off Friday’s injury report entirely.

However, Baltimore has not announced the move, potentially pointing towards McSorley not having tested positive but that he was around someone who did. The Ravens went through a similar issue earlier this season when defensive tackle Brandon Williams was placed on the Reserve/COVID-19 list for being in close contact with someone who had tested positive for COVID-19.

Per Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic, all three other quarterbacks — including Lamar Jackson — were spotted wearing masks at practice on Friday.

Though he’s been on the Ravens’ 53-man roster this season, McSorley has been a gameday inactive for all nine games thus far. Coach John Harbaugh admitted the team kept McSorley on the 53-man roster instead of the practice squad last season so he couldn’t get picked up by another team, pointing to it being a similar decision this year.

While McSorley’s move to the Reserve/COVID-19 list is unfortunate, it does open up a spot on the 53-man roster. With several members of the defense dealing with injuries, including both Brandon Williams and Calais Campbell being listed as doubtful for Sunday’s game against the Tennessee Titans and running back Derrick Henry, Baltimore could look to add some help via free agency.

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Pittsburgh Steelers rule out 3 for Jacksonville Jaguars game

The Steelers look to be heading into Jacksonville with nearly a clean slate on the injury front.

The Steelers Friday injury report looks fairly clean, with only running backs Trey Edmunds, Jaylen Samuels, and linebacker Jayrone Elliott ruled out for Sunday.

Edmunds (hamstring) and Samuels (quad) were both injured versus the Bengals. Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin indicated on Tuesday that the backs’ availability would be dependent on practice participation, and neither took part all week. Elliott (illness) also has not been at practice this week.

As anticipated, cornerback Mike Hilton will be back in action. He was a full practice participant all week after exiting with a shoulder injury in the second quarter of Week 6.

Though Cam Sutton has played solid in Hilton’s absence, having him back in the lineup is just the injection Pittsburgh’s defense needs.

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Tight end Vance McDonald and guard Kevin Dotson have not yet been activated from reserve/COVID-19.

Here’s Friday’s full rundown as reported by Teresa Varley of Steelers.com:

Game status
RB Trey Edmunds (Hamstring) – Out
RB Jaylen Samuels (Quadriceps) – Out
LB Jayrone Elliott (Illness) – Out

Practice participation
QB Ben Roethlisberger (NIR) – Full
WR JuJu Smith-Schuster (NIR) – Full
RB Anthony McFarland (Illness) – Full
CB Mike Hilton (Shoulder) – Full
RB Trey Edmunds (Hamstring) – DNP
RB Jaylen Samuels (Quadriceps) – DNP
LB Jayrone Elliott (Illness) – DNP
C Maurkice Pouncey (NIR) – Full
G David DeCastro (NIR) – Full
T Alejandro Villanueva (NIR) – Full
DE Stephon Tuitt (NIR) – Full
DE Isaiah Buggs (Ankle) – Full

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Latest on Vance McDonald, Kevin Dotson and reserve/COVID-19 list

There has been no official update to the contrary on McDonald or Dotson in recent days. 

As of Friday, Steelers tight end Vance McDonald and Kevin Dotson remain on the reserve/COVID-19 list where they were both placed earlier this month. Since Thursday, Nov. 5, McDonald has not practiced and returned a positive test the day following the Dallas Cowboy’s game on Nov. 9. Though it was never made clear whether Dotson tested positive, the guard has not practiced since Thursday, Nov. 12.

Following a positive test, the current COVID protocol states that a player can return after at least 10 days have passed since symptoms first appeared and at least 72 hours after he last experienced symptoms.

Though it’s estimated McDonald could’ve returned to practice on or around Nov. 17, Dotson still has three days according to the guidelines.

There has been no official update on the status of either player in recent days. The two are not listed among the activations from reserve/COVID-19 on Friday’s NFL transaction wire.

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Cleveland Browns place Myles Garrett on reserve/COVID-19 list

Cleveland Browns star defensive lineman heads to the reserve/COVID-19 list

The Cleveland Browns’ task to defeat the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 11 became significantly more difficult Friday. The AFC North team announced star defensive lineman Myles Garrett is going on the reserve/COVID-19 list.

And in typical Browns fashion, the news came less than 30 minutes after their social media team posted a tweet celebrating the defense.

Garrett had 9.5 sacks, 4 four forced fumbles and has been in on 31 tackles in 2020.

 

Andy Dalton, Tyrone Crawford activated from Cowboys COVID-19 list

The Cowboys get two important pieces back for Week 11 as Andy Dalton and Tyrone Crawford will be activated from the reserve/COVID-19 list.

The 2020 season has been one full of bad news for the Dallas Cowboys. From injuries galore and poor production on the field, it’s been a neverending saga of disappointment. However, they just got a bit of good news.

Head coach Mike McCarthy held a press conference on 105.3 The Fan on Wednesday and said that quarterback Andy Dalton and defense lineman Tyrone Crawford will both be activated from the reserve/COVID-19 list.

Dalton was hit with a double whammy recently. In addition to being placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list on November 3, he was already going through concussion protocol after a brutal hit from linebacker Jon Bostic of the Washington Football Team in Week 7.

Dalton didn’t perform to the level that the Cowboys would have hoped after Dak Prescott’s season-ending ankle injury. After completing nine of his 11 passes for 111 yards and engineering a game-winning drive vs the New York Giants, he went just 43 of 73 (58.9%) in the next two games with one touchdown and three interceptions. The team scored a total of 13 points in those two games.

Team owner Jerry Jones said Dalton will be the team’s starting quarterback when all players are healthy; Dalton could return as soon as Sunday against the Minnesota Vikings.

Crawford found himself on the reserve/COVID-19 list just days after the Cowboy’s tough Week 9 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers. It was the only game he had a significant impact for the Cowboys in 2020, including blocking an extra point. Besides that, he’s only produced five tackles and one quarterback hit all season, which all came in the first four games.

The Cowboys have a tough task Sunday with a red-hot Vikings team that’s currently on a three-game winning streak so having as many players as possible on the active roster is key.

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Steelers practice squad 2020: Pittsburgh protects 4 PS players for Week 11

A new concept for the 2020 season is the “protected” practice squad. Here are the four players the Steelers chose to protect.

For Week 11 practice squad protections, Pittsburgh again tabbed rookie safety Antoine Brooks, wide receiver Deon Cain, tight end Kevin Rader and running back Wendell Smallwood. These four are not eligible to sign with another team until after Sunday’s game.

The Steelers signed tight end Charles Jones to the practice squad on Tuesday, as the team was down a tight end with Vance McDonald still on the reserve/COVID-19 list.

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Practice squad “protection” is a new concept for the 2020 season. It’s a concession for the potential personnel shortages that could occur if the virus strikes the locker room.

Teams can designate protected players each Tuesday beginning at 4 p.m., except for clubs that played on the previous Monday night; their designations go into effect prior to 4 p.m. Wednesday.

The Steelers travel to Jacksonville Sunday, Nov. 22 to take on the Jaguars.

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Vance McDonald’s Week 9 contributions weren’t worth the distraction

While the Steelers are no strangers to internal complications, they could’ve easily been avoided.

In a nearly replicate situation to the Baltimore Ravens playing star cornerback Marlon Humphrey in Week 8, the Steelers felt the need to play tight end Vance McDonald in Week 9.

The most significant difference is the Ravens game was home and Humphrey didn’t have to travel. McDonald did. The result is, so far, four additional players have been placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list, including Ben Roethlisberger.

They all tested negative and, if they continue to test negative throughout the week, should be available for practice Saturday and play on Sunday.

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When ESPN’s Brooke Pryor pressed Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin on how the travel determination was made, Tomlin had this to say:

“Those aren’t decisions that are made by us. It’s really cut and dry. It’s all in the COVID procedural policy established in New York by the NFL. As long as [the player] is negative and not showing signs of COVID, he’s able to travel, and [Vance McDonald] was and we did. We don’t overanalyze it that way. We utilize all the mechanisms at our disposal to minimize the potential of interaction. We’re all masked up. We’re all exercising good personal hygiene and social distancing. We’re doing all the things that we are asked. That’s our mindset regarding it.”

Unfortunately, it was a bad judgment call. Instead of heeding caution after what went down in Baltimore last week, the Steelers chose to allow McDonald to travel after being listed on the injury report with an illness the day before.

Contributions to the game

Was Pittsburgh’s decision to have McDonald board the plane and play worth the distractions?

No.

On the Steelers’ first play of the second half’s opening drive, McDonald caught a pass for two yards. That’s it. That was the only time he was targeted and his only contribution to the receiving game. Pittsburgh would go three-and-out and punt.

McDonald’s single pass pro snap was graded at 70.2 by Pro Football Focus, as he didn’t allow any pressure on Big Ben.

NFL should revise its COVID-19 policy

The Steelers did go by the “book.” But that book needs revising. For instance, as Pryor tweeted on Tuesday, NFL’s Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Allen Sills, says they don’t only rely on testing to rule out whether someone has contracted the virus.

If that is the case, it needs to be made clear to the teams. If a player is ill, especially close to game day (whether traveling or not), as a precaution, he should sit. I understand how it could impact the game, depending on the role of said player. Being prudent could mean the difference between keeping the season to 16 weeks and extending it, or worse, canceling it.

When you don’t bubble up (I don’t blame them for not wanting to), situations like the Ravens and the Steelers, or even the Raiders or Titans, are going to happen again. It’s, unfortunately, inevitable.

The league needs to revise its procedures as to how to appropriately proceed with sick players who test negative. It could very well prevent an outbreak.

Since McDonald was questionable for the game, it’s likely he was still showing signs of the undisclosed illness. If it was the cold or flu, those symptoms can mimic the coronavirus. Although Vance tested negative before the Steelers headed for Dallas, the organization should’ve recalled what happened with Humphrey and thought better than to let him travel.

Pittsburgh is lucky that, so far, McDonald is the only player who tested positive.

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2 advantages of Steelers’ Ben Roethlisberger on reserve/COVID-19 list

There are benefits to Big Ben not physically being with the team this week.

Ben Roethlisberger was placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list on Tuesday. He tested negative for the virus but was in close contact with tight end Vance McDonald who returned a positive test on Monday.

Linebacker Vince Williams, running back Jaylen Samuels and offensive lineman Jerald Hawkins was also in close contact with McDonald and tested negative.

Head coach Mike Tomlin said that each will work remotely this week.

Everyone is thankful that only one player was directly affected so far, and there was a collective sigh of relief, especially when Ben’s test was negative. There are a couple of advantages to their star quarterback not being able to practice this week.

Steelers practice squad 2020: Pittsburgh protects 4 PS players for Week 10

A new concept for the 2020 season is the “protected” practice squad. Here are the four players the Steelers chose to protect.

For Week 10 practice squad protections, Pittsburgh tabbed rookie safety Antoine Brooks, wide receiver Deon Cain, tight end Kevin Rader and running back Wendell Smallwood. These four are not eligible to sign with another team until after Sunday’s game.

This is the first time Rader has been protected this season. The Steelers are thin at tight end after Vance McDonald tested positive for COVID-19.

It’s worth noting the Steelers currently have one spot open on the practice squad.

Practice squad “protection” is a new concept for the 2020 season. It’s a concession for the potential personnel shortages that could occur if the virus strikes the locker room.

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Teams can designate protected players each Tuesday beginning at 4 p.m., except for clubs that played on the previous Monday night; their designations go into effect prior to 4 p.m. Wednesday.

The Steelers host the Cincinnati Bengals Sunday, Nov. 15 versus the Dallas Cowboys at Heinz Field.

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