Saints running backs Latavius Murray and Dwayne Washington and fullback Michael Burton will miss Sunday’s game at Carolina after being classified as high-risk close contacts to Kamara, according to a person familiar with the situation. Running backs coach Joel Thomas also is in quarantine as a high-risk close contact. The team announced later Saturday that Murray, Washington, Burton and safety D.J. Swearinger had been placed on its covid-19 reserve list.
The Saints can use wide receiver Ty Montgomery at running back, a position he has played in the NFL, and they elevated Tony Jones Jr. from the practice squad. They also have all-purpose player Taysom Hill, a rugged ballcarrier who usually lines up at quarterback as an alternative to Drew Brees and filled in there as the starter when Brees was injured.
Kamara tested positive Friday, a person familiar with the test result confirmed. He also will miss Sunday’s game as the Saints pursue the NFC’s No. 1 playoff seed. Kamara is on an isolation period of at least 10 days and could remain sidelined if the Saints must play in the opening round of the postseason.
The Browns announced Saturday morning that they had closed their facility because of a positive test result by a coach. The team said it would work remotely while contact tracing was conducted.
“We will consult with league medical professionals on the appropriate next steps,” the Browns said in a statement.
It was the third time in four days that the Browns had closed their facility because of at least one new positive test result in daily leaguewide coronavirus testing. The team reopened its facility and held an afternoon practice Wednesday. The Browns kept their facility closed and worked remotely all of Thursday, then had the facility open and practiced Friday after having no new positive test results.
The NFL reaches its regular season finish line Sunday and, barring complications, will fulfill its goal of playing all 256 games within the framework of its standard 17-week schedule. Games were postponed, particularly when the Tennessee Titans and then the Baltimore Ravens experienced outbreaks, but none were canceled.
The playoffs begin next weekend, and the NFL remains on course to be the first major U.S. sport to play a full, uninterrupted season since the pandemic began. The league decided not to use a bubble environment, relying on strict and frequently tightening protocols as teams practice in their own facilities and play games at their own stadiums with the stands empty or partially filled.
The San Francisco 49ers had to relocate because of coronavirus-related restrictions imposed in California’s Santa Clara County. They’ll host a third game Sunday in Glendale, Ariz., their home away from home. But the NFL has avoided adding a Week 18 to its schedule, as it said it would do if all games could not be played within the standard 17 weeks.
The Browns are scheduled to play at home Sunday against the Pittsburgh Steelers and can clinch a playoff spot with a victory. The NFL has held the position all week that the game will be played as scheduled.
Allen Sills, the NFL’s chief medical officer, said earlier in the week there was no evidence to that point of transmission of the virus within the team’s facility. The NFL has said throughout the season that games are postponed for medical reasons only, if a team is experiencing an outbreak with unchecked transmission of the virus, and not for competitive reasons. In the Browns’ case, Sills said during the week it would not be surprising if multiple members of the organization had contracted the virus separately outside the team facility, given the high infection rate in the surrounding county.
The Browns were without two linebackers, in addition to their four missing wide receivers, for their loss Sunday to the New York Jets in East Rutherford, N.J. One player, reportedly linebacker B.J. Goodson, tested positive, and the others were ineligible for the game after being classified as high-risk close contacts and placed in five-day quarantine. The Browns activated the four wide receivers, including Jarvis Landry, from their covid-19 reserve list Thursday and could be in better shape competitively this Sunday than they were against the Jets.
The Browns made a series of roster moves Saturday that included signing guard Blake Hance from the Jets’ practice squad, promoting three players from their own practice squad and activating safety Karl Joseph from their covid-19 reserve list. They also said offensive line coach Bill Callahan and assistant offensive line coach Scott Peters will miss Sunday’s game because of the coronavirus protocols.
The Steelers placed cornerback Joe Haden, tight end Eric Ebron and linebacker Cassius Marsh on their covid-19 reserve list. That list is for players who test positive and those identified through contact tracing as having been exposed to the virus. Haden reportedly tested positive, and he wrote on Twitter: “I’m so [ticked] and sad at the same time..... stay safe out here.”
The issues are widespread. Fitzpatrick tested positive Thursday, according to a person familiar with the result, and will miss the Dolphins’ game Sunday at Buffalo as they try to clinch a playoff berth.
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Saints down four running backs, Browns close facility on eve of NFL regular season finale - The Washington Post
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