Tag: reserve/COVID-19 list

Falcons activate CB A.J. Terrell off reserve/COVID-19 list

The Atlanta Falcons have thrown a lot at rookie CB A.J. Terrell by asking him to start Week 1, despite not having a preseason and playing one of the toughest positions in the NFL.

The Atlanta Falcons have thrown a lot at rookie CB A.J. Terrell, asking him to start Week 1 despite not having a preseason and playing one of the toughest positions in the NFL.

To make matters worse for the first-round pick out of Clemson, Terrell was placed on the NFL’s reserve/COVID-19 list a few weeks ago. Fortunately, the Falcons announced Thursday afternoon that Terrell was being activated off of the league’s virus designation, which should make him good to go for Sunday’s NFC South matchup with the Carolina Panthers.

Terrell was Atlanta’s highest-graded defender in Week 2, according to Pro Football Focus. And while his return is good for the team, the Falcons continue to be decimated by injuries in the secondary.

Atlanta was without safeties Ricardo Allen and Keanu Neal entering Week 4, and lost Damontae Kazee during the game with an Achilles tear.

Plus, nickel CB Darqueze Dennard is out for at least two more weeks. Starting CB Kendall Sheffield did return in Week 4, however, making his season debut against the Packers and holding his own for the most part.

Stay tuned for Thursday’s injury report following practice.

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What Titans’ COVID-19 outbreak means for NFL this week

The Titans have had both players and personnel test positive for COVID-19 prompting the rescheduling of the Steelers matchup Week 4.

There was always a chance that the COVID-19 pandemic would impact the NFL as it previously did the NBA and MLB. Unfortunately, it has struck three weeks into the season as the Tennessee Titans have now had a number positive COVID-19 tests confirmed. This could have ramifications for the rest of the 2020 season, which could only increase in severity if more teams report positive cases.

The Titans placed three players on the Reserve/COVID-19 list and sent two to the practice squad in response to the results.

Furthermore, they have closed their facilities to prevent further spread of the disease. The Minnesota Vikings, who played the Titans just three days ago, followed suit. The NFL released a statement saying that they will take every possible precaution with the two teams.

The NFL has now announced the game will be postponed to either Monday or Tuesday, with more details to be announced shortly.

The Seattle Seahawks still have yet to report a positive test.

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Lions’ Kenny Golladay and T.J. Hockenson confirm positive COVID-19 test result

Detroit Lions’ Kenny Golladay and T.J. Hockenson both confirm they tested positive for COVID-19 at beginning of training camp.

Detroit Lions’ wide receiver Kenny Golladay and tight end T.J. Hockenson both confirmed today via video conference that they indeed tested positive for COVID-19 at beginning of training camp.

Based on the length of time missed, this isn’t overly surprising news but they did have two different experiences dealing with the test results.

Golladay was flagged for a positive test on the first day of camp, July 29th, and remained out until August 5th. He acknowledged that he had “a few symptoms. Just like a fever, that’s it. Lasted like two days, nothing major.” And he made sure to reiterate that he currently was “100-percent and happy to be on the field right now, and that’s all that matters.”

Hockenson was also flagged on the 29th of July but he remained on the reserve/COVID-19 list until August 8th, despite being asymptomatic. He admitted he was caught off guard by the test results and tried to make the most of his alone time.

“Pretty lonely,” Hockenson said. “There wasn’t a whole lot going on. I, fortunately, didn’t have any symptoms. It was kind of a surprise to test positive for that. And then to spend a week away from the teammates was tough. But, it was a week for me to get mentally prepared for camp, and actually my father brought a bunch of weights up and I was able to do some things in the garage, while I was doing that.”

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Hockenson would go on to describe the seriousness of testing positive and what he learned from it.

“I think it’s something that a lot of the community, people my age, don’t take as seriously as they should,” Hockenson continued. “It’s one of those things that you need to do the right things, and you need to be quarantined if you have it, and all those steps that they give us. It was something that I learned, that I didn’t want to give it to anybody. My teammates, my family. You just don’t want to put anybody at risk, because you know how deadly it was no matter if I had symptoms or not.”

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Foye Oluokun gives first-hand look at camp during COVID-19 outbreak

The Atlanta Falcons drafted little-known linebacker Foye Oluokun out of Yale in the sixth round back in 2018.

The Atlanta Falcons drafted little-known linebacker Foye Oluokun out of Yale in the sixth round back in 2018. Now entering his third season with the team, Oluokun is set to start at outside linebacker after veteran De’Vondre Campbell left via free agency.

Oluokun’s 2020 training camp got off to a rocky start, though, as he was one of the first Falcons players to land on the reserve/COVID-19 list. While he’s since been activated, the pandemic has drastically changed camp life for players all over the league.

Atlanta’s starting linebacker gave a first-hand look at what training camp is like in the age of COVID-19. Watch the eight-minute video below, as shared by the team’s Twitter account.

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Falcons activate FB Keith Smith from reserve/COVID-19 list

The Falcons got another player off of the NFL’s reserve/COVID-19 list as fullback Keith Smith is set to return, the team announced on Saturday.

The Falcons got another player off of the NFL’s reserve/COVID-19 list as fullback Keith Smith has been activated, the team announced on Saturday.

Smith, 28, has overcome a lot during his six-year NFL career, including being cut by the Dallas Cowboys seven times in a single season. So it’s safe to say this short stint on the league’s new virus designation won’t faze him. 

With the Falcons set to begin full-contact practices, it will be helpful to have the team’s lead blocker back out there in front of running back Todd Gurley. 

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Lions activate Romeo Okwara, Jalen Elliott, waive Jeremiah Dinson

The Detroit Lions announced they have activated Romeo Okwara from NFI, Jalen Elliott from reserve/COVID-19, and waived Jeremiah Dinson.

The Detroit Lions announced they have activated defensive end Romeo Okwara from the non-football injury list (NFI), undrafted safety Jalen Elliott from reserve/COVID-19 list, and waived undrafted rookie safety Jeremiah Dinson.

Okwara returning from the NFI list couldn’t come at a better time as the Lions will begin padded practices on Monday and only had two EDGE rushers healthy on the roster: Trey Flowers and Julian Okwara. Second year EDGE Austin Bryant is still on the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list but there have been no updates on his status at this time.

Elliott was originally flagged on the opening day of COVID-19 testing and remained out of the facility until today. According to the NFL/NFLPA agreement, it means has been symptom-free for 72 hours and received clearance from the team’s head physician.

The Lions have now returned every player on their reserve/COVID list and now have strung together 12 straight days of tests, without having to place any additional players on the list.

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Dinson is the first undrafted free agent rookie to be released from the Lions roster this season, despite a series of roster moves last weekend. It’s a tough environment to succeed in, with no preseason games to prove themselves, and for a player who likely needed to show his value on special teams.

Jets activate James Burgess off Reserve/COVID-19 list

The Jets activated J.D. Davis off of the Reserve/COVID-19 list.

James Burgess is ready to go for Jets training camp.

Burgess was activated off the Reserve/COVID-19 list on Thursday. Burgess spent eight days on the list dating back to Aug. 5. Being on the Reserve/COVID-19 list means Burgess was either infected with coronavirus or that he also could’ve been exposed to someone else who had it and was forced to quarantine.

Burgess has another opportunity to see significant playing time this season with C.J. Mosley opting out due to COVID-19 concerns. Burgess will likely be one of the backup linebackers in 2020 after performing well as a fill-in starter in 2019.

Burgess played well in 10 games last season. He recorded 80 total tackles, half a sack, five pass defenses, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery and one interception.

No Steelers remain on reserve/COVID-19 list as RB Jaylen Samuels is activated

The Steelers announced Thursday the activation of running back Jaylen Samuels off the reserve/COVID-19 list. They released fullback Spencer Nigh.

The Steelers announced on Thursday that they have activated running back Jaylen Samuels off the reserve/COVID-19 list, where he was placed on Aug. 2.

Since he was the last player on the list to be activated, no more Steelers remain on reserve/COVID-19.

This is great news, especially for Samuels, who is battling for a 53-man roster spot in a crowded running back room.

To make a spot for Samuels, the Steelers released fullback Spencer Nigh.

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Cowboys waive WR to activate two players off COVID-19 list

Dallas activated WR Jon’Vea Johnson and CB Saivion Smith to the roster, waiving undrafted free agent WR Kendrick Rogers in order to do so.

Wide receiver Jon’Vea Johnson and cornerback Saivion Smith were activated to the Cowboys’ active roster on Sunday after spending time on the Reserve/COVID-19 list. But with team rosters set at just 80 players under current coronavirus protocols, the club had to waive wide receiver Kendrick Rogers to make room.

Johnson was signed by Dallas as an undrafted free agent in 2019 and enjoyed a promising rookie camp. Hurt in that preseason’s final game, though, he spent all of last season on injured reserve. He was the first Cowboys player to be placed on the Reserve/COVID-19 list in late July. While that designation alone does not necessarily mean a player has contracted the coronavirus or even received a positive test, it was later reported that Johnson was found to be “actively positive from a PCR nasal-swab exam.”

Smith is technically a first-year player from Alabama, even though he spent last year’s training camp with the Jaguars. Cut at the end of the preseason, Smith was out of football for the remainder of 2019. He played with the XFL’s Houston Roughnecks before signing with the Cowboys in April. He was found to be actively positive for COVID-19 (from the same type of exam as Johnson) on July 31, but was reported to be asymptomatic.

Thought by some to be a potential first-round talent at the end of the 2018 NCAA season, wideout Kendrick Rogers returned to College Station and ended up catching 30 balls for the Aggies in 2019, totaling 351 yards and a pair of touchdowns. His 40-yard dash time at February’s combine was impressive, but Rogers ultimately went undrafted in April.

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Bills no longer have any players on Reserve/ COVID-19 list

Buffalo Bills wide receiver Duke Williams is removed from Reserve/ COVID-19 list.

The Buffalo Bills are clear of COVID-19 related absences from their roster as of Monday morning. Over the weekend the Bills activated their final player that was on the list, wide receiver Duke Williams.

In a corresponding move, recently signed cornerback Akeem King was released by the Bills to make room for Williams on Buffalo’s roster. As things currently stand, the Bills have 81 players on their roster.

During the current offseason which features the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, the NFL created a few new guidelines in their CBA with the players union. First, teams only carry 80 players during the current training camp (81 with roster exempt Christian Wade) and there’s the creation of the Reserve/ COVID-19 list. The designation does not mean a player had tested positive for coronavirus, it could mean they had to quarantine because they were in contact with someone who tested positive.

Regardless, Williams fell into one of those categories and then in order to come off  of it, he had to have multiple negative test results in order to join his teammates. Evidently that had happened and the Bills are currently clear of COVID-19 on their roster.

Players will still continue to be tested as training camp rolls on, though. Eventually testing goes from daily testing to every other day as per the agreement between owners and players. At one point, the Bills had as many as five players on the Reserve/ COVID-19 list.

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