Packers Place Jordan Love, Krys Barnes On Reserve/COVID-19 List
The Packers have run into more trouble with the coronavirus, joining several teams in that regard this week. After seeing COVID-19 deplete their backfield, the Packers learned one of their starting defenders played Thursday night before testing positive Friday morning, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets.
Linebacker Krys Barnes landed on Green Bay’s reserve/COVID-19 list Friday. The Packers also placed rookie quarterback Jordan Love on the list. Barnes tested positive for the coronavirus, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. It is not known if Love has tested positive. He may well be a close contact. Players do not have to test positive to be placed on a team’s reserve/COVID list.
Considering the timeline here, this is obviously a key situation for the Packers. A UDFA out of UCLA, Barnes started and played 25 snaps for the Packers. He left the game with a calf injury. Barnes has started all but one Packers game this season.
The Packers were already without running backs A.J. Dillon and Jamaal Williams; Dillon tested positive earlier this week.
Minor NFL Transactions: 11/5/20
Here are Thursday’s minor moves:
Baltimore Ravens
- Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: LB Matt Judon
Carolina Panthers
- Waived: C Sam Tecklenburg
Cleveland Browns
- Promoted: LB Elijah Lee
- Waived: C Evan Brown
Denver Broncos
- Promoted: CB Kevin Toliver
Detroit Lions
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: S Jalen Elliott
Green Bay Packers
- Promoted: S Henry Black, G Ben Braden, CB Stanford Samuels
Las Vegas Raiders
- Promoted: RB Theo Riddick
Minnesota Vikings
- Signed off Raiders’ practice squad: CB Dylan Mabin
Philadelphia Eagles
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: S Marcus Epps; Epps tested positive for the coronavirus but is believed to be asymptomatic, per Tom Pelissero of NFL.com (Twitter link)
San Francisco 49ers
- Promoted: OL Tony Bergstrom, WR River Cracraft, S Johnathan Cyprien, TE Daniel Helm, RB Austin Walter, WR Kevin White
- Placed on IR: QB Jimmy Garoppolo, TE George Kittle (story)
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: LS Matthew Orzech
Aaron Jones On Track To Play In Week 9
Good news for a Packers team that has seen COVID-19 decimate its running back room: Aaron Jones is on track to play Thursday night.
The standout running back has missed the past two games with a calf injury, but ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter reports he is expected to be active against the 49ers (Twitter link).
A.J. Dillon‘s positive coronavirus test led to the Packers’ top Jones replacement — Jamaal Williams — being deemed a high-risk close contact. On the team’s reserve/COVID-19 list, Williams and Dillon will miss tonight’s game. The Packers having Jones active would be critical, though the notoriously cautious team will see how its starter looks in pregame warmups, per Schefter.
Green Bay promoted running back Dexter Williams from its practice squad Thursday and has return specialist Tyler Ervin set to play. Were Jones to experience pregame issues with his calf, the Packers would be extremely shorthanded in their backfield. A 2019 sixth-round pick, Williams has five career carries. Despite being a 2016 draftee, Ervin has 10 career totes.
Jones has been one of the NFL’s best backs over the past two seasons. After his 19-touchdown 2019 season, the former fifth-round pick is averaging 5.2 yards per carry this year. Jones has scored seven TDs in five games. He suffered the calf injury in practice prior to Green Bay’s Week 7 game in Houston. Returning to full strength will be key for Jones, who hopes to join several of his 2017 running back draft classmates in securing a big payday. His rookie contract expires at season’s end.
Falcons Interested In Nathaniel Hackett; Eric Bieniemy Also On Radar
After 1 1/2 seasons as Green Bay’s offensive coordinator, Nathaniel Hackett has emerged as a head coaching candidate. The Falcons are interested in the longtime assistant, Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports reports.
Team president Rich McKay is likely to pursue an interview with Hackett when he becomes available for one, per JLC, who adds the 40-year-old OC’s name has come up in “several” internal discussions to succeed Dan Quinn.
McKay is running Atlanta’s search and has a history with Hackett, who is a second-generation NFL coach. The son of former NFL OC Paul Hackett, Nathaniel broke into the NFL as a Buccaneers quality control coach during his father’s stay as the team’s QBs coach during the mid-2000s. McKay was with Tampa Bay at that point.
The Packers hired Hackett last year to work as Matt LaFleur‘s right-hand man on offense. While Aaron Rodgers certainly makes a coordinator’s job easier, the Packers rank second in offensive DVOA this season despite having gone stretches without Davante Adams and Aaron Jones. Green Bay ranked eighth last season, though the team was seventh in Mike McCarthy‘s abbreviated final season. LaFleur calls Green Bay’s plays. Hackett served as OC for the Bills and Jaguars under Doug Marrone; the Jags fired him in 2018. Only one of Hackett’s five pre-Packers offenses ranked in the top 15 in DVOA.
The Falcons are likely to be interested in Chiefs OC Eric Bieniemy, La Canfora notes. They will have company in chasing Kansas City’s non-play-calling OC, who has been in place throughout Patrick Mahomes‘ tenure as the Chiefs’ starting quarterback. The Texans are also interested in Bieniemy, who has taken HC interviews in each of the past two offseasons and is expected to land a coaching job in 2021.
49ers-Packers Still On Track
COVID-19 forced the 49ers to close their facility this week, but their Thursday night game against the Packers is still set to go on as scheduled (Twitter link via ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter).
[RELATED: COVID-19 Positive Closes 49ers Facility]
In recent days, the Niners have been forced to place a number of players on the reserve list, including offensive tackle Trent Williams and wide receivers Brandon Aiyuk, Deebo Samuel, and Kendrick Bourne. The Packers, meanwhile, will be without running back AJ Dillon due to his positive test. And, because Dillon was in close contact with fellow RB Jamaal Williams and linebacker Kamal Martin, they will also be barred from playing.
The 49ers have entered the league’s “intensive protocol” to help mitigate potential spread, but as of this writing, the league is planning to go full speed ahead on Thursday night. The Niners were already set for an uphill battle thanks to prior injuries, and they’ll now have to forge ahead without many of their top receivers. Meanwhile, the Packers’ backfield could be extra shallow, depending on the status of Aaron Jones‘ calf injury.
COVID-19 Positive Closes 49ers Facility
The 49ers have closed their team facility after receiving their latest COVID-19 test results, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Wide receiver Kendrick Bourne has tested positive for the coronavirus and it’s not immediately clear whether he’s the only player to do so. 
This news comes just one day before the 49ers’ scheduled game against the Packers. At this moment, the game is still slated to go ahead as scheduled at Levi’s Stadium.
The NFL continues to grapple with COVID-19 positives and protocols in place to protect its employees. On Tuesday, Broncos GM John Elway and CEO Joe Ellis both learned of new positive tests that will keep them away from the club in the coming days. Meanwhile, Packers running back AJ Dillon has already been ruled out for this week due to his test results. Dillon was also in close contact with fellow RB Jamaal Williams and linebacker Kamal Martin, sending them to the reserve list.
During the preseason, the Niners placed wide receiver Richie James Jr., running back Jeff Wilson Jr. and linebacker Fred Warner on the COVID-19 list. Today’s news marks their first positive test since the start of the regular season.
Matt LaFleur Discusses Packers' WR Disagreement
We heard earlier today that the Packers were eying Texans wideout Will Fuller, but there were reportedly disagreements among high-level Packers officials on whether they should make a play for a receiver. While head coach Matt LaFleur said he was unsure if “anything ever got that serious,” he was sure that he’s on the same page with general manager Brian Gutekunst.
As Demovsky notes, the Packers could be getting some reinforcement at the position, as receiver Allen Lazard could return this weekend. The 24-year-old had eight catches for 146 yards and one score in Week 3, but he’s been sidelined since undergoing core muscle surgery.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 11/3/20
Today’s practice squad moves:
Arizona Cardinals
- Released: DE Daniel Wise
Cincinnati Bengals
- Signed CB Brian Allen
- Released: LB Kendall Donnerson
Green Bay Packers
- Released: TE Nakia Griffin-Stewart
Las Vegas Raiders
- Signed: DE Gerri Green
- Released: DE Breeland Speaks
Los Angeles Rams
- Signed: DB Jake Gervase
- Released: LB Daniel Bituli
Miami Dolphins
- Released: DB Cordrea Tankersley
New York Jets
- Signed: DB Elijah Campbell, LB Sharif Finch, S Saquan Hampton
- Placed on IR: WR D.J. Montgomery
Philadelphia Eagles
- Released: WR Marcus Green
Seattle Seahawks
- Released: LB Michael Divinity, LB Mychal Kendricks
Packers Split On Trading For Texans’ Will Fuller
There’s disagreement among high-level Packers officials on whether the long-term cost of an elite receiver like Will Fuller would be worthwhile, Dianna Russini of ESPN.com tweets. The Packers have discussed Fuller with the Texans, but it’s far from a given that they’ll complete a trade before the afternoon deadline. 
Fuller, who is playing on a $10.16MM fifth-year option salary, profiles as an interesting rental option for the Packers. Through seven games, he’s been Deshaun Watson‘s favorite target, catching 31 passes for a team-high 490 yards and five touchdowns. Of course, acquiring him would mean giving up significant draft capital, especially since the Texans have insisted that they’re not keen on trading players with potential for 2021.
The Packers could certainly use a weapon like Fuller, given their lack of production at wide receiver. Davante Adams has been leading the charge with 43 catches for 502 yards and seven touchdowns in just five games. Meanwhile, the rest of the group has combined for a mere 38 catches, 622 receiving yards, and four scores.
The Packers passed on their opportunity to nab an elite wide receiver in this year’s draft, and they’re window to trade for one is on the verge of closing. The NFL’s trade deadline — 4pm ET/3pm CT — is just hours away.
Packers Expressed Interest In Antonio Brown
Antonio Brown has, of course, been reunited with Tom Brady in Tampa Bay. But before he signed the Buccaneers apparently weren’t the only NFC contender to express interest. 
The Packers made a call and “checked in” with Brown to “see if he would have any interest in going to Green Bay,” Adam Schefter of ESPN.com said Monday during an appearance on the Pat McAfee show (Twitter video link). Schefter makes clear that nothing was ever particularly close to happening, but it’s interesting nonetheless. Schefter reported a couple of weeks ago that a number of teams were digging into him, and it sounds like the Packers were one of those.
The Seahawks publicly acknowledged their interest a couple of times, and before now they were the only other identified suitor. Green Bay has struggled to find a consistent number two option in their passing game behind Davante Adams, so their interest makes sense.
The Packers are widely believed to be poking around available receivers ahead of tomorrow’s trade deadline, and they reportedly inquired on the Texans’ Will Fuller recently. It looks like Brown’s first choice was always to join Brady in Tampa, and nothing was going to sway him off that.Depending on how the embattled former All-Pro pans out with the Bucs, Packers fans will either be bummed they missed out or relieved that they dodged a bullet.
The Packers aren’t known as an organization that likes to take the most risks, and the fact that they reached out at all is a sign of the slightly more aggressive path new GM Brian Gutekunst has chosen after taking over a couple of seasons ago. Brown is eligible to make his 2020 debut this coming week against he Saints on Sunday Night Football after completing his eight-game suspension.