Shelby Harris Tests Positive For COVID-19
Shelby Harris missed the Broncos’ Week 9 game after he landed on the team’s reserve/COVID-19 list. But the veteran defensive lineman was out due to being a high-risk close contact. This week, he will be out because he tested positive for the coronavirus, Benjamin Allbright of KOA tweets.
The Broncos placed Harris on their reserve/COVID-19 list last week. He reported to the team his wife and children tested positive for the coronavirus last week, Mike Klis of 9News reports, but he did not receive word he had also tested positive until Wednesday morning. The Broncos quarantined Harris away from his family at a hotel last week; he did not travel to Atlanta for the team’s Week 9 game. He will miss at least Denver’s Week 10 game in Las Vegas.
Broncos defensive line coach Bill Kollar is not with the team due to contact tracing, per Klis, but the longtime Denver assistant has not tested positive (Twitter link). The Broncos have seen a few assistants miss time because of the virus, with running backs coach Curtis Modkins testing positive and O-line coach Mike Munchak and defensive coordinator Ed Donatell being sidelined for periods as well. GM John Elway tested positive last week.
After catching on with the Broncos in 2017, Harris re-signed with the team this offseason. The interior defender led the NFL in passes batted down last season and has eight QB hits this year. With Harris sidelined, the Broncos will be without each of their three starting D-linemen against the Raiders. Both Jurrell Casey and Mike Purcell are on IR.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 11/10/20
Here are the NFL’s recent practice squad moves:
Baltimore Ravens
- Signed: Nate Brooks, T R.J. Prince
Carolina Panthers
- Activated from practice squad injured list: RB Reggie Bonnafon
- Signed: DT Woodrow Hamilton
- Released: K Taylor Bertolet, DT Mike Panasiuk
Chicago Bears
- Signed: OL Eric Kush, QB Kyle Sloter
Cleveland Browns
- Signed: CB Stephen Denmark, TE Kyle Markway, C Javon Patterson
- Released: C Evan Brown, T Timon Parris, CB Prince Smith
- Placed on practice squad injured list: WR Ryan Switzer
Denver Broncos
- Signed: TE Troy Fumagalli, C Jon Halapio
Detroit Lions
- Signed: TE Khari Lee
Houston Texans
- Signed: LB Curtis Bolton, LB Kendall Futrell
- Released: WR Devin Smith
- Placed on practice squad injured list: LB Davin Bellamy
Las Vegas Raiders
- Signed: WR Rico Gafford, S Rashaan Gaulden
Los Angeles Rams
- Released: C Cohl Cabral
Minnesota Vikings
- Signed: CB Cordrea Tankersley
New England Patriots
- Signed: TE Dylan Cantrell, TE David Wells
- Released: DT Ryan Glasgow
Philadelphia Eagles
- Signed: DT Treyvon Hester
- Released: RB Adrian Killins
San Francisco 49ers
- Signed: WR Chris Finke
Seattle Seahawks
- Released: DE DeMarkus Acy
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: DL Miles Brown, CB Greg Mabin, OL Daniel Munyer, K Giorgio Tavecchio
Minor NFL Transactions: 11/10/20
We’ve got a long list of all the minor transactions from the last day or so:
Arizona Cardinals
- Waived: CB De’Vante Bausby
Atlanta Falcons
- Promoted: LB Edmond Robinson
Chicago Bears
- Signed: DT Anthony Rush
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: Deon Bush, Lachavious Simmons
Cincinnati Bengals
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: DL Margus Hunt
Denver Broncos
- Claimed off waivers from Cardinals: CB De’Vante Bausby
Detroit Lions
- Placed on IR: CB Tony McRae
- Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: LB Jarrad Davis
Green Bay Packers
- Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: QB Jordan Love, LB Kamal Martin, RB Jamaal Williams
Houston Texans
- Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: LB Dylan Cole, LB Whitney Mercilus, G Max Scharping
- Placed on IR: LB Kyle Emanuel, LB Brennan Scarlett
- Claimed off waivers from Washington: DE Nate Orchard
Indianapolis Colts
- Waived: DL Ron’Dell Carter
- Promoted: WR DeMichael Harris
Kansas City Chiefs
- Activated from reserve/PUP list: T Martinas Rankin
- Waived: DE Demone Harris
Los Angeles Rams
- Waived: LB Natrez Patrick
Minnesota Vikings
- Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: LB Todd Davis
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: LS Austin Cutting
- Waived/failed-physical: LB Ben Gedeon
- Placed on IR: DB Holton Hill
New England Patriots
- Claimed off waivers from Cardinals: TE Jordan Thomas
- Waived: LB Cassh Maluia
- Placed on IR: TE Dalton Keene
New York Giants
- Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: G Will Hernandez
- Waived: CB Corey Ballentine
New York Jets
- Activated off NFI list: CB Bryce Hall
- Waived: QB Mike White
- Placed on IR: TE Trevon Wesco
San Francisco 49ers
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: WR Kendrick Bourne
Washington Football Team
- Promoted: WR Jeff Badet
- Waived: WR Tony Brown
Broncos’ Albert Okwuegbunam Has Torn ACL
The hits just keep on coming for the Broncos. Rookie tight end Albert Okwuegbunam suffered a torn ACL during the team’s loss to the Falcons yesterday, a source told Mike Klis of Denver 9 News (Twitter link).
Needless to say, Okwuegbunam will be done for the rest of the season. The Broncos drafted the Missouri product back in April, and this is a tough way for his rookie season to end. He was inactive the first four games of the season, but had started to play a real role on offense in recent weeks. He was playing a solid chunk of the offensive snaps, and in Denver’s Week 7 loss to the Chiefs he had seven catches for 60 yards.
All told, he’ll finish the year with 11 catches for 121 yards and a touchdown in four contests. Noah Fant has been playing through a lingering ankle injury which he again briefly re-aggravated on Sunday, and his health will be even more important moving forward. Jake Butt is currently on IR, which means Nick Vannett will likely see an increase in snaps in Okwuegbunam’s absence. Fortunately, it’s still early enough that Okwuegbunam should be able to make a full recovery in time for the start of his sophomore campaign.
2020 NFL Cap Space, By Team
The trade deadline is in the rear view mirror, but teams are still keeping a watchful eye on their salary cap figures. For contenders, the available dollars can be used for late-season signings. For all clubs, a portion of the unspent dollars can be rolled over into future seasons, giving them a larger budget to work with in the first wave of free agency.
Here are the most recent figures for each team, via Over The Cap:
- Cleveland Browns – $31MM
- New York Jets – $30.4MM
- Dallas Cowboys — $28MM
- Jacksonville Jaguars– $26.3MM
- Philadelphia Eagles– $23.9MM
- Washington Football Team – $23.3MM
- New England Patriots – $21.8MM
- Denver Broncos – $19.8MM
- Miami Dolphins – $15.6MM
- Detroit Lions – $14.2MM
- Cincinnati Bengals– $12.3MM
- Indianapolis Colts – $10.7MM
- Los Angeles Chargers — $8.4MM
- New York Giants – $8MM
- Chicago Bears – $7.6MM
- Houston Texans – $7.5MM
- Los Angeles Rams – $6.9MM
- Pittsburgh Steelers – $6.9MM
- Green Bay Packers – $6.7MM
- Arizona Cardinals– $6.2MM
- New Orleans Saints – $6MM
- Las Vegas Raiders – $6MM
- Kansas City Chiefs – $5.7MM
- Carolina Panthers – $5.5MM
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers – $5.3MM
- Tennessee Titans – $4.6MM
- Minnesota Vikings – $3.8K
- San Francisco 49ers – $3.7MM
- Seattle Seahawks – $3.3MM
- Baltimore Ravens – $3.3MM
- Buffalo Bills – $3MM
- Atlanta Falcons – $1.8MM
NFL Practice Squad: 11/8/20
All of the practice squad moves from the past day:
Denver Broncos
- Placed on practice squad IR: C Patrick Morris
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Signed: DB Demarcus Christmas
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: P Trevor Daniel
- Placed on practice squad IR: K Tucker McCann
Minor NFL Transactions: 11/7/20
Here are Saturday’s minor moves:
Arizona Cardinals
- Activated from IR: TE Maxx Williams
- Promoted: DL Michael Dogbe, RB D.J. Foster, CB Jace Whittaker
- Waived: TE Jordan Thomas
Atlanta Falcons
- Activated from IR: CB Darqueze Dennard
- Promoted: LB Edmond Robinson, LB Pita Taumoepenu
- Placed on IR: CB Jordan Miller
Buffalo Bills
- Activated from IR: LB Del’Shawn Phillips
- Promoted: CB Dane Jackson, WR Jake Kumerow
Carolina Panthers
- Activated: DE Yetur Gross-Matos, RB Christian McCaffrey (story)
Chicago Bears
- Promoted: QB Tyler Bray, OL Dieter Eiselen, WR Dwayne Harris, DL Daniel McCullers, Badara Traore
Dallas Cowboys
- Placed on IR: P Chris Jones
- Promoted: P Hunter Niswander, RB Sewo Olonilua, QB Cooper Rush, CB Saivion Smith
Denver Broncos
- Promoted: S Alijah Holder
Detroit Lions
- Activated from reserve/PUP list: DE Austin Bryant
- Promoted: OL Marcus Martin
- Placed on IR: CB Darryl Roberts
Houston Texans
- Promoted: LB Nate Hall, DL Corey Liuget, OL Greg Mancz
Indianapolis Colts
- Activated from IR: LB Matthew Adams
- Promoted: WR Daurice Fountain, WR DeMichael Harris
- Placed on IR: WR Ashton Dulin
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Promoted: LB Joe Giles-Harris, S Doug Middleton, CB Josh Nurse
- Placed on IR: LB Shaquille Quarterman
Kansas City Chiefs
- Promoted: WR Gehrig Dieter, G Bryan Witzmann
Las Vegas Raiders
- Activated from IR: DT Daniel Ross
- Added to active roster: DE Chris Smith
- Waived: WR Rico Gafford
Los Angeles Chargers
- Promoted: RB Kalen Ballage, DE Jessie Lemonier, DB Quenton Meeks
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: CB Brandon Facyson
Miami Dolphins
- Activated from IR: T Austin Jackson
- Promoted: WR Kirk Merritt
Minnesota Vikings
- Promoted: DT Abdullah Anderson, C Brett Jones
New York Giants
- Activated from IR: CB Brandon Williams
- Promoted: DB Montre Hartage, RB Alfred Morris, G Chad Slade
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Promoted: S Antoine Brooks, LB Jayrone Elliott
- Waived: RB Trey Edmunds, OL Stefen Wisniewski
Seattle Seahawks
- Activated from IR: DE Rasheem Green
- Promoted: RB Alex Collins, CB Jayson Stanley
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: DL William Gholston
Tennessee Titans
- Promoted: WR Cameron Batson, CB Breon Borders, RB D’Onta Foreman, LS Matt Overton, LB Wyatt Ray, DL Teair Tart
- Placed on IR: CB Tye Smith
- Waived: OL Daniel Munyer
Washington Football Team
- Activated from IR: WR Steven Sims
- Promoted: WR Jeff Badet, OL Ross Pierschbacher
- Waived: DE Nate Orchard
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
Minor NFL Transactions: 11/3/20
Today’s minor NFL transactions:
Baltimore Ravens
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: DB Terrell Bonds, LB Tyus Bowser, DB DeShon Elliott, LB L.J. Fort, LB Malik Harrison, LB Matt Judon, LB Patrick Queen
Chicago Bears
- Promoted from practice squad: OT Lachavious Simmons
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: OG Germain Ifedi, OT Jason Spriggs
Denver Broncos
- Placed on IR: TE Jake Butt
Detroit Lions
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: LB Jarrad Davis
New England Patriots
- Claimed off waivers (from Titans): DT Isaiah Mack
- Placed on IR: TE Devin Asiasi
New York Giants
- Placed on IR: S Adrian Colbert
New York Jets
- Signed to active roster: LB Bryce Hager, S Bennett Jackson
- Released: OL Jimmy Murray
San Francisco 49ers
- Waived: DL Jullian Taylor
Tennessee Titans
- Released: LS Beau Brinkley
Broncos GM John Elway Tests Positive For COVID-19
Broncos GM John Elway and CEO Joe Ellis have tested positive for COVID-19, as NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport tweets. Both execs believe they contracted the virus outside of the team facility and they’ll now stay away from the building, per protocols. The Broncos have since confirmed the news via press release:
[RELATED: Packers’ AJ Dillon Tests Positive For COVID-19]
“[Ellis and Elway ]were informed this morning they tested positive for COVID-19. After not feeling 100 percent on Sunday morning, Joe promptly reported his symptoms to our medical team and watched Sunday’s game at home as a precaution. He continued to work from home on Monday before receiving a positive test result this morning.
John immediately left UCHealth Training Center on Monday morning after experiencing minor symptoms that he quickly brought to the attention of our medical staff. Other than mild symptoms, both Joe and John are doing well. They will continue to work from home in self-isolation and participate in virtual meetings while their health is monitored.
“Based on a review of contact tracing data with the league, we are confident these cases originated independently outside team facilities. There were minimal close contacts identified for each (no players or coaches), and those individuals have been notified.”
The Broncos have had a few recent cases, including defensive coordinator Ed Donatell and offensive line coach Mike Munchak. Right guard Graham Glasgow also tested positive on Thursday. So far, contact tracing has indicated that the coronavirus has not spread any further in the organization.
Elway wasn’t in attendance for the Broncos’ 31-30 win over the Chargers, and he won’t be on hand as they prepare for the Falcons this week. Elway can still work the phones between now and 4pm ET/3pm CT to explore potential trades, but the 3-4 Broncos aren’t expected to make any major moves.