COVID-19 Latest: Titans, Pats, Newton
After three blissfully uneventful weeks in the NFL — at least as far as COVID-19 is concerned — the virus has begun to rear its ugly head. Let’s get you up to date with all the pandemic-related happenings in the league:
- One more Titans player and one more Tennessee personnel member tested positive, as Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets, bringing the total to 20 positive tests (10 players and 10 personnel). Since the Titans have now had positive tests on six straight days, the soonest they could reopen their facilities would be Wednesday, October 7 (Twitter link via Schefter). Tennessee is scheduled to play the Bills next Sunday, October 11.
- Schefter says in a full-length piece that the league and union are investigating whether the Titans violated COVID-19 protocols, and the team has been asked to turn over multiple videotapes of team activities. At least one source believes Tennessee failed to follow the protocols, and if that turns out to be true, the club could face punishment in the form of fines or draft pick forfeiture. Another source thinks that the league will ultimately look to make an example out of the Titans.
- Luckily, no other team had a positive test from yesterday’s round of testing, as Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network observes (via Twitter). That includes the Patriots and Chiefs, both of whom recently had a player test positive (starting QB Cam Newton of New England, and practice squad QB Jordan Ta’amu of Kansas City). But as Schefter cautions, the virus has an incubation period, and Newton was in the huddle all week with teammates (Twitter link). There will be another round of testing today, but if the tests come back negative, the plan is to have the Pats and Chiefs play each other on Monday night, per Dianna Russini of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Newton, of course, will miss that game, and his availability for Week 5 is also in doubt.
- There was a scare last night when ProFootballTalk reported (via Twitter) that a Saints player had tested positive. Subsequent reports indicated that the player was fullback Michael Burton, but as Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.Football tweeted, Burton’s retest came back negative, so the Saints’ game against the Lions will go on today as scheduled.
- Hopefully the league will be able to recover from these scares, but Mark Maske of the Washington Post says the NFL is looking into the possibility of adding a Week 18 to the regular season schedule to accommodate postponed games (Twitter link). ProFootballTalk adds that multiple coaches have discussed the possibility of temporarily suspending the season, reconfiguring the schedule to allow for 12 total games, and then putting teams in hotels for the nine games that would remain (Twitter link).
- Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports writes that the league will hold a mandatory phone call for coaches, GMs, and owners tomorrow to discuss penalties for violating COVID-19 protocols. La Canfora says in a separate piece that the league is also considering playoff bubbles.
NFL Postpones Chiefs-Patriots; Game Expected To Be Played Monday Or Tuesday
11:30am: The NFL is moving tomorrow’s Colts-Bears game to 4:25 p.m. ET to fill the previous Patriots-Chiefs spot, per NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo (via Twitter).
11:07am: That didn’t take long. Less than an hour after news broke of Cam Newton testing positive for COVID-19, we’re now learning (via ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Twitter) that tomorrow’s game between the Patriots and Chiefs has been postponed. Schefter notes that the game is expected to be played Monday or Tuesday.
“The New England-Kansas City game scheduled for 4:25 p.m. ET Sunday will be rescheduled to Monday or Tuesday after positive COVID-19 tests on both teams,” the league said in a statement.
“In consultations with infectious disease experts, both clubs are working closely with the NFL and the NFLPA to evaluate multiple close contacts, perform additional testing and monitor developments. All decisions will be made with the health and safety of players, team and gameday personnel as our primary consideration.”
As the statement alludes to, Newton wasn’t the only player to test positive. NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reports (via Twitter) that Chiefs practice squad quarterback Jordan Ta’amu has also tested positive and has been added to the reserve list. Along with practice squad QB Matt Moore, Ta’amu was the de facto third-string quarterback behind Patrick Mahomes and Chad Henne.
Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com is skeptical the game will be played Monday considering the incubation period. Schefter somewhat echoes that sentiment, as a source told him that the game is “more likely” to be played on Tuesday.
Earlier this week, the NFL postponed Sunday’s contest between the Titans and Steelers after several members of the Titans organization tested positive for COVID-19. That number has since ballooned to 16, forcing the NFL to postpone the game indefinitely.
Minor NFL Transactions: 10/1/20
Here are Thursday’s minor moves:
Buffalo Bills
- Waived: CB Cam Lewis
Denver Broncos
- Promoted: T Jake Rodgers, LB Josh Watson
Detroit Lions
- Activated off reserve/suspended list: S Jayron Kearse
- Waived: RB Ty Johnson
Kansas City Chiefs
- Placed on IR: L’Jarius Sneed
- Promoted: LB Darius Harris
New York Jets
- Activated: WR Jeff Smith
- Promoted: WR Lawrence Cager, CB Javelin Guidry, CB Lamar Jackson
San Francisco 49ers
- Placed on reserve/suspended list (with a six-game suspension for violating the NFL’s PED policy): TE Chase Harrell
Wylie Absence Not COVID-Related?
- The stomach pains that caused Chiefs guard Andrew Wylie to be transported to the hospital prior to Monday night’s Chiefs-Ravens game are believed to have stemmed from appendicitis and not a COVID-related concern, Pelissero tweets.
Sammy Watkins Battling Head, Neck Issues
- Ahead of the game of the 2020 season to date, the Chiefs have their No. 2 wide receiver in concussion protocol. Sammy Watkins‘ status is uncertain for Kansas City’s game in Baltimore, and Andy Reid said the seventh-year wideout has encountered a neck problem as well, per Adam Teicher of ESPN.com. The Chiefs are better insured here than most, with 2019 second-round speedster Mecole Hardman on track to play a bigger role were Watkins to miss time. Watkins left the Chiefs’ Week 2 win early after suffering the head injury.
Minor NFL Transactions: 9/19/20
Here are Saturday’s minor moves. There are many, as teams take advantage of the rule change allowing 55-man rosters ahead of regular-season games. Teams can dress 48 players for games this season, up from 46.
Arizona Cardinals
- Promoted: TE Jordan Thomas
Buffalo Bills
- Promoted: LB Deon Lacey, LB Andre Smith
Carolina Panthers
- Promoted: DT Woodrow Hamilton
Chicago Bears
- Promoted: LB Devante Bond
Dallas Cowboys
- Promoted: G Eric Smith
Denver Broncos
- Promoted: RB LeVante Bellamy, LB Derrek Tuszka
Detroit Lions
- Promoted: DT Kevin Strong, DB Dee Virgin
Green Bay Packers
- Promoted: TE John Lovett, DL Willington Previlon
- Placed on IR: WR Equanimeous St. Brown
Houston Texans
- Promoted: RB C.J. Prosise
Indianapolis Colts
- Promoted: TE Farrod Green
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Promoted: TE Ben Ellefson
Kansas City Chiefs
- Promoted: DT Braxton Hoyett
- Placed on IR: DL Khalen Saunders
Los Angeles Chargers
- Promoted: RB Darius Bradwell
Los Angeles Rams
- Promoted: LB Natrez Patrick
Minnesota Vikings
- Promoted: CB Mark Fields
New England Patriots
- Promoted: DT Nick Thurman
New York Giants
- Promoted: DB Sean Chandler, DB Ryan Lewis
Philadelphia Eagles
- Promoted: CB Trevor Williams
San Francisco 49ers
- Promoted: OL Hroniss Grasu
Seattle Seahawks
- Promoted: DT Anthony Rush
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Promoted: WR Cyril Grayson, TE Tanner Hudson
Tennessee Titans
- Promoted: WR Cameron Batson, RB Jeremy McNichols, CB Mazzi Wilkins
Washington Football Team
- Promoted: LB Jared Norris, WR Cam Sims
2020 NFL Cap Space, By Team
Cap management has been extra complicated in the NFL this year. After ~70 NFL players opted out of the 2020 season, teams were left with holes and plenty of available dollars to fill the gaps. At first, the ongoing uncertainty over next year’s salary cap had teams nervous about large-scale commitments. Now, it seems like we’re getting back to business as usual.
Recent deals for Saints star Alvin Kamara, Vikings running back Dalvin Cook, Rams cornerback Jalen Ramsey, and others demonstrate the league’s long-term confidence. In turn, we’ve seen cap figures change dramatically in September.
Here’s the rundown of each team’s estimated cap space for the 2020 season, via Over The Cap:
- Cleveland Browns – $33.4MM
- New York Jets – $28.6MM
- Dallas Cowboys — $27.5MM
- New England Patriots – $26.3MM
- Washington Football Team – $25.8MM
- Denver Broncos – $25.7MM
- Jacksonville Jaguars – $25.2MM
- Philadelphia Eagles – $20MM
- Detroit Lions – $18MM
- Miami Dolphins – $16.7MM
- Baltimore Ravens – $14.2MM
- Los Angeles Chargers – $11.8MM
- Cincinnati Bengals – $11.6MM
- Arizona Cardinals – $11.4MM
- Indianapolis Colts – $11.3MM
- San Francisco 49ers – $11.2MM
- Pittsburgh Steelers – $10.9MM
- Chicago Bears – $9.9MM
- New York Giants – $9.6MM
- Houston Texans – $9.6MM
- Tennessee Titans – $9.4MM
- New Orleans Saints – $8.8MM
- Green Bay Packers – $8.7MM
- Los Angeles Rams – $7.7MM
- Las Vegas Raiders – $7.4MM
- Carolina Panthers – $6.9MM
- Kansas City Chiefs – $6.6MM
- Buffalo Bills – $6.5MM
- Seattle Seahawks – $6.2MM
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers – $3.7MM
- Atlanta Falcons – $3.3MM
- Minnesota Vikings – $2MM
Chiefs’ Khalen Saunders To Miss Time
Chiefs defensive tackle Khalen Saunders is expected to miss roughly four weeks of action with a dislocated elbow, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). It’s not immediately clear whether the Chiefs will place Saunders on injured reserve, which only requires players to sit out for three weeks under the modified rules. 
Saunders, who was forced out of the season opener early, will not require surgery. That’s good news for the Chiefs, who are counting on the former third-round pick to disrupt from the interior. With uncommon athleticism for a 325-pound lineman, Saunders has found a regular role in the rotation.
Last year, the 24-year-old stepped up for the Chiefs and stepped into the starting lineup while Chris Jones was sidelined with an injury. In 12 games (four starts), Saunders notched 22 tackles, two QB hits, and notched his first ever sack against the Packers.
The Chiefs, sans Saunders, will face the Chargers in L.A. on Sunday. To fill the void, the Chiefs may look to promote defensive tackle Braxton Hoyett from the practice squad.
Mutual Interest Existed Between Chiefs, Peterson
Clyde Edwards-Helaire will make his NFL debut Thursday night, doing so without the benefit of preseason carries. The Chiefs brought back both Darrel Williams and Darwin Thompson to serve as his backups, but the defending Super Bowl champions considered a somewhat higher-profile RB2 option. A year after the Chiefs scooped up LeSean McCoy following his Bills release, they had interest in Adrian Peterson, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com tweets. Peterson, who played under Eric Bieniemy from 2007-10 when the current Chiefs OC was the Vikings’ running backs coach, was interested in a Chiefs deal as well, per Herbie Teope of the Kansas City Star (on Twitter). COVID-19 testing and the team’s first game being on Thursday night nixed a potential partnership, Fowler adds. Peterson signed with the Lions on Sunday.
Ahead of the Chiefs kicking off the 2020 season in less than an hour, here is the latest from the AFC West:
- The Chiefs made a few mid-level moves to bolster their depth chart this year, from re-signing wideout Demarcus Robinson and backup quarterback Chad Henne to adding offensive linemen Kelechi Osemele, Daniel Kilgore and Mike Remmers. Kansas City, however, does enter the season with a thin cornerback group thanks to Kendall Fuller‘s Washington return and Bashaud Breeland‘s four-game suspension. GM Brett Veach confirmed the team considered signing a veteran early in camp but saw enough from fourth-round rookie L’Jarius Sneed and young replacement options Rashad Fenton and Antonio Hamilton to stick with the status quo, per Adam Teicher of ESPN.com (on Twitter).
Minor NFL Transactions: 9/6/20
Here are Sunday’s minor moves. The players who landed on injured reserve are eligible to come off teams’ respective lists after three weeks. For 2020, teams can also activate an unlimited number of IR players — as opposed to the two-man max of 2019.
Atlanta Falcons
- Claimed (from Washington): T Timon Paris
Cincinnati Bengals
- Claimed (from Dolphins): G Deion Calhoun
- Signed: CB Torry McTyer
Cleveland Browns
- Claimed (from Cowboys): DE Joe Jackson
- Claimed (from Bills): DT Vincent Taylor
Dallas Cowboys
- Placed on IR: WR Ventell Bryant
- Signed: CB C.J. Goodwin, LB Justin March-Lillard
- Released: LB Joe Thomas
Houston Texans
- Re-signed: T Brent Qvale, LS Jon Weeks
Indianapolis Colts
- Claimed (from Eagles): TE Noah Togiai
Las Vegas Raiders
Minnesota Vikings
- Claimed (from Giants): LB Ryan Connelly
New York Giants
- Claimed (from Chiefs): T Jackson Barton, S Adrian Colbert
- Claimed (from Browns): WR Damion Ratley
- Waived: S Sean Chandler, OL Chad Slade
- Placed on IR: LB David Mayo, S Xavier McKinney
Philadelphia Eagles
- Claimed (from Lions): RB Jason Huntley
- Placed on IR: S Will Parks, WR Quez Watkins
San Francisco 49ers
- Released from IR via injury settlement: J.J. Nelson
Seattle Seahawks
- Claimed (from Titans): LB D’Andre Walker
- Waived: DB Linden Stephens
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Re-signed: C A.Q. Shipley