The Bears entered their second-straight game week in the NFL’s intensive protocol, which requires teams to practice special precautions after being near someone infected with COVID-19.
Last week, the Bears took league-mandated special steps after practice squad offensive lineman Badara Traore was put on the NFL’s reserve/COVID-19 list. He remains out.
Offensive line coach Juan Castillo self-quarantined, starting Oct. 13, after learning someone in his personal life had contracted the coronavirus. He returned to practice Thursday.
The Bears haven’t placed anyone else on the reserve/COVID-19 list. But they stayed in protocol this week after playing the Panthers, who now have four players on the reserve list, on Sunday.
Star defensive end Akiem Hicks missed practice Thursday with an illness, but it was unclear whether his symptoms were consistent to that of the coronavirus. Last week, the NFL said players could miss practices — and even games — if they are symptomatic but do not test positive for the coronavirus. Browns receiver Odell Beckham Jr. was sent home from practice last week because he was sick, but played Sunday.
Under the league’s intensive protocol, players and coaches must pass quick-turnaround coronavirus tests each day in order to enter the practice facility. Players must wear either a mask or an Oakley face shield – a clear plastic device put on over the helmet’s facemask — in practice. All meetings must be virtual. The weight room and locker room has a capacity limit.
“We’re basically going right into practice right from the walk-through and like right now the guys, they’ll head home after practice,” head coach Matt Nagy said Thursday. “We don’t have individual meetings. They go home and then we get up with them and do some stuff later on through technology.”
The NFL held phone calls, arranged into small groups, with all 32 NFL teams this week. Each call featured at least one team that had been under intensive protocol; they were asked to give pointers about how to get the facility into shape.
“Part of what these calls were utilized for was really to share the things, to get the facility prepared, to spread out areas in the facility even more so than they have been,” Dawn Aponte, the league’s chief football administrative officer, said Thursday. “And really begin implementing the different aspects of the intensive protocol.”
Injury report
Slot cornerback Buster Skrine did not practice Thursday because of an ankle injury, while safety Sherrick McManis sat out with a hamstring injury. McManis missed a game earlier this month with the same malady.
Safety Deon Bush returned to practice after missing the last two games with his own hamstring injury, and was limited. Rashaad Coward, who started at left guard Sunday, was limited with a finger injury.
Receiver Ted Ginn, linebacker Danny Trevathan and tight end Jimmy Graham were given veteran days off.
Inside linebacker Manti Te’o, the former Notre Dame star, practiced for the first time.
Kai on Monday?
Rams coach Sean McVay told reporters that Kai Forbath, whom his team took off the Bears’ practice squad earlier this week, won’t be allowed into their facility until Sunday because of coronavirus intake testing. He still could make his Rams debut Monday night.
