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Pittsburgh Steelers News & Rumors

Ravens Place 6 More On Reserve/COVID-19 List

November 28th, 2020 at 3:30pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Ravens now have 20 players on their reserve/COVID-19 list. A day after practice squad tackle Will Holden‘s positive COVID-19 test, Baltimore now has nearly a third of its active-roster/P-squad players on the coronavirus list.

Slot corner Tavon Young (already on IR), edge rusher Jaylon Ferguson, guard D.J. Fluker, rookie defensive back Khalil Dorsey and rookie defensive lineman Broderick Washington joined Holden and 14 others on the team’s virus list Saturday.

Beyond Holden, it is not known if any of the other players involved in these latest COVID-related roster moves tested positive for COVID-19. But the timing of Holden’s positive test could make each of the four additional non-IR players included here unavailable for Tuesday’s game against the Steelers. Should the Ravens’ virus list expand much further, the NFL will have to postpone this game beyond Week 12.

The league has pushed this game back twice already. A third time would almost certainly mean triggering one of the two contingency plans. A makeup Week 18 window is believed to be the league’s Plan B, with Plan C being the 16-team playoff bracket that would stem from canceled regular-season games. Plan C going into effect would mean the first unbalanced NFL regular season (in terms of games played) since 1935.

James Conner Tests Positive For COVID-19

November 28th, 2020 at 2:30pm CST by Sam Robinson

Should the NFL leave the Ravens-Steelers rematch at 7pm CT Tuesday — its third time slot — the Steelers will not have James Conner for the game. Conner tested positive for COVID-19 on Saturday, Aditi Kinkhabwala of NFL.com reports (on Twitter).

In addition to the fourth-year running back testing positive, Steelers special teams coordinator Danny Smith also submitted a positive coronavirus test, Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette tweets. This, of course, follows the COVID-19 outbreak at the Ravens facility. The game remains on schedule for Tuesday night.

A 2018 Pro Bowler who has played a key role in the Steelers’ first-ever 10-0 start, Conner is a cancer survivor. As of Saturday afternoon, he is not experiencing significant symptoms, Brooke Pryor of ESPN.com notes. This positive test stands to keep Conner out of the Steelers’ Week 13 game — against Washington — as well. Conner, 25, was diagnosed with stage 2 Hodgkin’s lymphoma in 2015. Smith has been the Steelers’ ST coordinator since 2013.

The Steelers are working on a contact-tracing effort, so more players and coaches figure to join Conner and Smith in being unavailable against the Ravens. Pittsburgh placed Stephon Tuitt and two other linemen on its virus list Friday. The Ravens have 15 players on their virus list.

Considering the alternatives to playing this game on Tuesday, the NFL will face a major decision over the next few days. The league has pushed this game back to what looks like its Week 12 fail-safe point. A makeup Week 18 window is believed to be the league’s Plan B, with Plan C being the 16-team playoff bracket that would stem from canceled regular-season games.

On pace for his second 1,000-yard season since taking the reins from Le’Veon Bell in 2018, Conner has totaled 645 rushing yards and five touchdowns this year. Benny Snell‘s 57 carries are second-most on the Steelers. His 3.4 yards-per-carry average is a yard worse than Conner’s.

Ravens, Steelers Place 3 Players On Reserve/COVID-19 List

November 27th, 2020 at 5:52pm CST by Sam Robinson

5:52pm: While a sixth straight day did produce a Ravens positive coronavirus test, just one player’s test came back positive Friday. Practice squad offensive lineman Will Holden tested positive, according to NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero (on Twitter). Holden will become the 15th player on Baltimore’s reserve/COVID-19 list. This will continue to be the NFL situation to monitor over the next few days.

3:28pm: The Ravens and Steelers each moved three players to their respective reserve/COVID-19 lists Friday. This comes shortly after the NFL pushed the AFC North’s top rivalry back to Tuesday night.

Stephon Tuitt, defensive lineman Isaiah Buggs and offensive lineman Jerald Hawkins are now on the Steelers’ virus list, while the Ravens moved fullback Patrick Ricard, long snapper Morgan Cox and defensive tackle Justin Madubuike to theirs. Lamar Jackson also landed on Baltimore’s COVID list. The reigning MVP tested positive for the coronavirus Thursday; Ricard confirmed (via Twitter) he tested positive as well.

For the Ravens, this increases their COVID list to 14 players — including key cogs Jackson, Ricard, Calais Campbell, Brandon Williams, Matt Skura, Pernell McPhee, Mark Ingram and J.K. Dobbins. This concerning number resulted in the NFL moving the Ravens-Steelers rematch for a second time. The 7pm Tuesday slot, however, represents conceivably the final Week 12 window for this game. Another delay would test the NFL in a way previous virus issues have not.

It is not known if Tuitt tested positive. If he did not, he could still play Tuesday. Depending on when the standout defensive lineman’s last contact with a COVID-19-positive person occurred, he could still be activated in time for the Steelers’ Tuesday game. With the NFL moving Week 13’s Ravens-Cowboys game to Monday, Dec. 7, Jackson could be activated. Had the NFL kept that game on Thursday — which it will if the Steelers-Ravens tilt cannot be played Tuesday — Jackson would have been ineligible to return for that contest.

NFL Moves Ravens-Steelers To Tuesday Night

November 27th, 2020 at 2:28pm CST by Sam Robinson

2:28pm: This game is now slated for 7pm CT Tuesday. The Ravens’ Week 13 game against the Cowboys has been moved to 4pm CT on Monday, Dec. 7. The league has not announced a change for Pittsburgh’s Week 13 game against Washington, which remains on for Sunday, Dec. 6.

1:46pm: The Ravens-Steelers rematch will be rescheduled for a second time. The NFL is moving the AFC North rivalry from Sunday afternoon to Tuesday night, Adam Schefter and Dianna Russini of ESPN report (via Twitter).

Having already postponed the game originally scheduled for Thanksgiving night, the league has now pushed it back to what appears to be a fail-safe point. A Ravens coronavirus outbreak, one that has produced positive tests throughout the week, caused the postponements.

Double-digit Ravens players and staffers — a list that now includes Lamar Jackson — have tested positive for COVID-19. More test results are expected to arrive Friday. This will mark the first Tuesday game since Bills-Titans in October. However, the league is limited with options if more Ravens positives prompt another delay.

Another move would prompt the NFL to exercise its Week 18 emergency option or trigger the 16-team playoff format — if it simply calls off the Baltimore-Pittsburgh rematch. The NFL has not seen its teams play an uneven number of games since 1935.

The Ravens disciplined a strength and conditioning staffer earlier this week for failure to comply with the NFL’s evolving COVID-19 protocol. They will now be down the reigning MVP. Jackson and third-string quarterback Trace McSorley reside on Baltimore’s reserve/COVID list. Robert Griffin III will start against the Steelers, with undrafted rookie Tyler Huntley in line to be his backup. RG3 faced the Steelers last season, but that came in Week 17 last season after the Ravens had clinched home-field advantage.

This outbreak has led to a Steelers game being postponed for the second time this season. A Titans outbreak began an NFL rescheduling wave, moving the Steelers’ bye to Week 4. Pittsburgh is now on track for a Tuesday-Sunday double next week, with a game against Washington looming Dec. 6. The NFL, however, moved the Bills-Chiefs matchup back a day to accommodate the Bills. It may do the same for the Steelers. The Ravens’ Week 13 game against the Cowboys — originally slated for Thursday, Dec. 3 — will be moved.

Latest On Steelers, Ravens

November 27th, 2020 at 11:52am CST by Zachary Links

Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin canceled Friday’s practice, per a club announcement. The Steelers are currently slated to face the Ravens on Sunday afternoon, but they don’t have much confidence in the game actually taking place. 

Four Ravens players tested positive for COVID-19 on Thanksgiving, including star quarterback Lamar Jackson. Before that, the Ravens were forced to shelve nose tackle Brandon Williams, defensive end Calais Campbell, and running backs Mark Ingram and J.K. Dobbins on the reserve list. Other Ravens staffers were also kept away from the facility, leaving the NFL to bump Steelers-Ravens from Thursday night to early Sunday afternoon. All in all, the Ravens have placed ten players on the reserve/COVID-19 list, including eight starters.

At this stage, it would be a surprise to see the two teams square off on Sunday. The league may compel the Ravens to forfeit the game, which would declare the Steelers as the winner by a score of 2-0. And, per the terms of the NFL’s agreement with the NFLPA, the teams would not be required to pay its players for a forfeited contest.

NFL Postpones Ravens-Steelers Due To COVID-19

November 25th, 2020 at 12:01pm CST by Rory Parks

Thursday’s game between the Ravens and Steelers has been postponed due to a rash of positive COVID-19 tests. Now, the two teams are set to meet on Sunday afternoon, though the league will continue to monitor the situation between now and then.

We learned yesterday that Baltimore was dealing with 10 total coronavirus cases, including five players. As Dan Graziano of ESPN.com reports (via Twitter), the Ravens have actually had seven players test positive over the past three days: RBs Mark Ingram and J.K. Dobbins — which we already knew about — QB Trace McSorley, OLB Pernell McPhee, DE Calais Campbell, C Matt Skura, and G/C Patrick Mekari, all of whom will be placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list. As such, the league really had no other choice but to push back the game.

Mike Garafolo of the NFL Network points out that the league did not make the decision because the Ravens would have been extremely shorthanded. After all, the players who tested positive won’t be allowed to play on Sunday either. Instead, a number of Baltimore players are (obviously) close contacts with those who tested positive, and the NFL wants to make sure the spread is contained (Twitter link).

Unfortunately, things could get worse for the Ravens. Per Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, the league and the team know how the outbreak began, and there is a chance more players will test positive. By Friday, the NFL expects to know if everything is under control or if the game will need to be postponed again.

If another postponement becomes necessary, this game will likely be the first one set in on the novel Week 18. The Ravens are scheduled to play the Cowboys next Thursday, so the league will not make them play a game on Monday or Tuesday before a Thursday night contest.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

NFL Monitoring Steelers-Ravens Game

November 24th, 2020 at 5:56pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Ravens–Steelers rematch is no longer a guarantee to follow the customary Lions and Cowboys contests on Thanksgiving. With the Ravens having five coronavirus positives among players and the Steelers at four, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com notes that more cases will result in the NFL moving the game off the Thanksgiving schedule (Twitter link). It is not known how many more positive tests between these franchises would cause the NFL to move the game, but given its time slot and the fact the league has resisted postponing games since Week 7 would make this a game difficult to move. However, this situation may be close to producing a postponement. In addition to five Ravens players having tested positive, Mark Maske of the Washington Post notes five Ravens staffers also have in recent days (Twitter links). Both the Ravens and Steelers encountered virus issues earlier this month but played their respective games as scheduled.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 11/24/20

November 24th, 2020 at 5:17pm CST by Zachary Links

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

Arizona Cardinals

Carolina Panthers

Houston Texans

  • Signed: C Cohl Cabral
  • Released: DE Kendal Futrell

Jacksonville Jaguars

Kansas City Chiefs

New York Giants

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers

  • Signed LB/LS Christian Kuntz

San Francisco 49ers

Tennessee Titans

Minor NFL Transactions: 11/24/20

November 24th, 2020 at 5:02pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

We’ll keep track of today’s minor moves here:

Arizona Cardinals

Baltimore Ravens

Buffalo Bills

Chicago Bears

Cleveland Browns

Denver Broncos

Jacksonville Jaguars

Kansas City Chiefs

Los Angeles Rams

New Orleans Saints

New York Jets

Pittsburgh Steelers

  • Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: TE Vance McDonald
  • Promoted: TE Kevin Rader

Tennessee Titans

The Jets’ addition of Adams makes a lot of sense after rookie running back La’Mical Perine suffered a high ankle sprain that is expected to sideline him for at least a couple games. A 2018 UDFA out of Notre Dame, Adams played a significant role with the Eagles as a rookie, when he started five of 14 games and carries the ball 120 times for 511 yards and three touchdowns. Despite the reasonably productive first season, he was waived at final cuts last year.

Minor NFL Transactions: 11/23/20

November 23rd, 2020 at 4:02pm CST by Zachary Links

Today’s minor moves:

Houston Texans

Los Angeles Rams

Pittsburgh Steelers

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