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Minor NFL Transactions: 10/6/20

October 6th, 2020 at 5:42pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here are Tuesday’s minor moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Cleveland Browns

Green Bay Packers

New England Patriots

  • Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: DT Bill Murray; Murray was on Patriots’ practice squad

New York Giants

San Francisco 49ers

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Washington Football Team

Titans, Patriots Have No New COVID-19 Positives

October 6th, 2020 at 8:55am CST by Zachary Links

The Titans received no new positive tests for the second straight day, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. The Patriots received good news as well — three days after Cam Newton‘s diagnosis, no one else on the team has tested positive for COVID-19 (Twitter link via ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter).

With two straight days of zero positives, the Titans may be able to reopen their facilities on Wednesday. The Titans have been barred from holding in-person activities since Sept. 29. Later that week, the NFL postponed their scheduled Week 4 game against the Steelers.

The NFL is ramping up the pressure on teams to follow COVID-19 protocols and contain potential outbreaks. On Monday, the league office informed clubs that they could be forced to forfeit games if an outbreak occurs due to lax internal standards.

The Patriots’ game against the Chiefs was played as scheduled on Monday night, though things didn’t exactly go according to plan. With Brian Hoyer under center for the first three quarters and Jarrett Stidham finishing out the game, the Chiefs rolled to a 26-10 victory. Meanwhile, Newton was said to be asymptomatic as of Monday, a promising sign for his recovery and eventual return.

Patriots Place Sony Michel On IR, Activate Damien Harris

October 5th, 2020 at 3:42pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

The Patriots are doing some major shuffling with their backfield. New England is placing running back Sony Michel on injured reserve and activating fellow running back Damien Harris off IR, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network (Twitter link). The team also activated receiver Gunner Olszewski and placed safety Cody Davis on injured reserve.

With the new rules this year, Michel will have to miss at least three games before returning. It’s a bummer for Michel since he was coming off by far his best game of the season, when he rushed for 117 yards on only nine carries against the Raiders. He had been a disappointment through the first couple of weeks, and will now be hitting the shelf. Fortunately, Rapoport noted in a follow-up tweet that he was told Michel could be activated relatively quickly and it’s not a season-ending injury.

A third-round pick last year, Harris barely played as a rookie and was a healthy scratch most weeks. He reportedly had a strong summer though, and was looking like he might be the Patriots’ starter to open the year before a hand injury sent him to IR. Now he’s back and figures to be in the mix tonight against Kansas City, although with James White and Rex Burkhead also present it’s unclear how much run he’ll get.

That being said, with Michel hitting injured reserve there’s a clear lane for Harris to shine if he can make the most of the opportunity. With Cam Newton out due to COVID-19 and Brian Hoyer getting the start at quarterback, the Pats figure to be running the ball frequently on Monday night. A first-round pick in 2018, Michel impressed as a rookie before taking a step back last year. This quad injury he picked up against Las Vegas certainly isn’t what he needed to get back on track.

Olszewski, a 2019 UDFA, served as New England’s punt returner for half of last season. Davis is a core special teamer who has yet to play a defensive snap this season.

No Positive COVID-19 Tests For Titans, Chiefs, Patriots In Latest Round

October 5th, 2020 at 9:31am CST by Zachary Links

The latest round of COVID-19 testing came back with zero positives for the Titans, Chiefs, and Patriots (Twitter links via Tracy Wolfson of CBS Sports, ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter). With that, the Patriots and Chiefs are set to go ahead with tonight’s game, as planned. The Titans, meanwhile, are one step closer to reopening their facilities.

[RELATED: Patriots QB Cam Newton Tests Positive For COVID-19]

Per league protocols, the Titans will need at least two straight days of zero positive tests before reopening. If they get zero positives in Tuesday’s round of testing, they could reopen as soon as Wednesday. It’s encouraging progress — this round marked the first time in seven days that the Titans had zero positives. Previously, the organization had 18 positive tests across six days.

After New England’s Cam Newton and KC’s Jordan Ta’amu also tested positive, there was plenty of speculation that, like the Titans-Steelers Week 4 contest, the Patriots-Chiefs game slated for this week could be pushed back. For now, the game is on. After tonight, the Chiefs will have played three games in ten days. On the other hand, the Chiefs will face a Brian Hoyer-led New England offense tonight with Cam Newton on the reserve/COVID-19 list.

Chiefs, Patriots To Play Monday Night

October 4th, 2020 at 10:44am CST by Rory Parks

The Chiefs’ latest round of point-of-care COVID-19 tests came back negative, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports (via Twitter). Adam Schefter of ESPN.com had previously reported that the Patriots’ tests also came back negative (Twitter link), so the two clubs will play each other Monday night at 7:05pm ET.

This is obviously great news for the NFL, which is dealing with a significant number of positive tests on the Titans. After New England’s Cam Newton and KC’s Jordan Ta’amu also tested positive, there was plenty of speculation that, like the Titans-Steelers Week 4 contest, the Patriots-Chiefs game slated for this week could be pushed back. For now, it seems like this particular crisis has been averted.

Still, the Chiefs will now face the tall task of playing three games in 10 days, and if the Titans-Bills Week 5 game gets postponed, Buffalo will be coming off a Week 5 bye when it takes on KC. On the other hand, the Chiefs will face a Brian Hoyer-led New England offense tomorrow night, as Newton has now landed on the reserve/COVID-19 list.

Although teams don’t usually undergo tests on gamedays, Schefter reports that both the Patriots and the Chiefs will be tested tomorrow morning (Twitter link). The Falcons-Packers game, the original Monday night contest, will be pushed back to 8:50pm ET.

COVID-19 Latest: Titans, Pats, Newton

October 4th, 2020 at 8:33am CST by Rory Parks

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 Practice Squad Updates: 10/3/20

October 3rd, 2020 at 5:25pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here are Saturday’s practice squad decisions:

Las Vegas Raiders

Miami Dolphins

New England Patriots

New York Giants

San Francisco 49ers

NFL Postpones Chiefs-Patriots; Game Expected To Be Played Monday Or Tuesday

October 3rd, 2020 at 11:07am CST by Ben Levine

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.

Patriots QB Cam Newton Tests Positive For COVID-19, Out Sunday

October 3rd, 2020 at 10:50am CST by Ben Levine

UPDATE, 10:50 am: ESPN’s Field Yates reports (via Twitter) that the Patriots/Chiefs are not expected to play tomorrow at 4:25 pm ET. Rapoport adds that one option is moving the game to Monday night. Schefter tweets that in that scenario, the Patriots would leave for Kansas City tomorrow.

10:11 am: Cam Newton‘s out for Week 4. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports (via Twitter) that the Patriots quarterback has tested positive for COVID-19, has been added to the COVID-19/reserve list, and is out Sunday against the Chiefs.

This is an isolated case, and no other Patriots players have tested positive, per NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport on Twitter. Schefter adds that the organization has been doing “mass testing and re-testing.” However, Schefter also tweets that the team will no longer be traveling to Kansas City at 1:00 pm today as originally planned; instead, they’re “on standby as they await more test results and guidance from the NFL.”

“Late last night, we received notice that a Patriots player tested positive for COVID-19,” the team said in a statement. “The player immediately entered self-quarantine. Several additional players, coaches and staff who have been in close contact with the player received point of care tests this morning and all were negative for COVID-19.

“We are in close consultation with the NFL, as well as our team of independent doctors and specialists, and will follow their guidance regarding our scheduled trip to Kansas City and game against the Chiefs. The health and safety of our team, as well as our opponent, are of highest priority.”

After inking a one-year deal with New England this past offseason, Newton has led the team to a 2-1 start to the 2020 campaign. The 31-year-old has completed 68.1-percent of his pass attempts for 714 yards, two touchdowns, and two interceptions. He’s been an even bigger threat running the ball, compiling 149 rushing yards and four touchdowns on 35 carries.

The Patriots will now enter this weekend’s matchup against the defending Super Bowl champs with either Jarrett Stidham or Brian Hoyer under center. The 24-year-old Stidham was once expected to take over the starting gig following Tom Brady‘s defection, but the signing of Newton naturally changed things. The former fourth-round hasn’t seen the field yet in 2020, and he completed two of four passes for 14 yards and a pick during his three appearances in 2019.

Hoyer has had multiple stints with New England dating back to 2009. The 34-year-old got into four contests last season (one start) with the Colts, connecting on 53.8-percent of his passes for 372 yards, four touchdowns, and four interceptions.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 10/1/20

October 1st, 2020 at 4:38pm CST by Zachary Links

We’ll keep track of today’s practice squad moves here:

Atlanta Falcons

Carolina Panthers

  • Signed: RB Pete Guerriero

Cleveland Browns

Green Bay Packers

Los Angeles Chargers

New England Patriots

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