On Tuesday, Patriots cornerback Stephon Gilmore, the reigning Defensive Player of the Year, tested positive for COVID-19, and was confirmed as having tested positive after re-tests and re-checks. He is the third Patriots player to test positive and be confirmed positive since last Friday. Then, starting quarterback Cam Newton tested positive, and on Sunday, reserve defensive lineman Bill Murray tested positive. Newton’s positive test pushed the Patriots’ Sunday night game with the Chiefs back to Monday night as the team had to have two days of negative tests before travelling, and then had to travel to Kansas City, where they lost, 26-10, with Brian Hoyer and Jarret Stidham as their reserve quarterbacks.
Per Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network, Gilmore is the only player to test positive from Tuesday’s round of tests. The Patriots have cancelled Wednesday practice and will hold virtual meetings. They now have to have two straight days of negative tests before they would be able to host the Broncos on Sunday. In addition, the Chiefs will want to make sure they haven’t got a problem on their hands. Gilmore was seen hugging Patrick Mahomes after the Monday night game, which could be a problem.
Put Mahomes in a hermetically sealed bubble please pic.twitter.com/LK62mS3Ei3
— Ben Volin (@BenVolin) October 7, 2020
The Patriots are the second NFL team to have what could reasonably be called an outbreak — the Titans have had 22 players and staff members test positive, which led to the postponement until Week 7 of their scheduled Week 4 game against the Steelers. The Titans also had two more new positive tests. That puts their Sunday game against the Bills in jeopardy.
As to Newton and Gilmore returning to play, the NFL’s guidelines indicate that if a player is asymptomatic, he can return five days after his initial positive test if he returns two consecutive negative PCR tests at least 24 hours apart. If a player is asymptomatic, he can return 10 days after his initial positive test. And if a player is symptomatic, he can return 10 days after his initial positive test IF at least 72 hours have passed since he last showed symptoms.
It is not known whether Newton and Gilmore are symptomatic, but the odds are not great for Newton’s return for the Broncos game, and Gilmore is most likely out until the Patriots’ Week 7 game against the 49ers. The team has a Week 6 bye.