Dallas Cowboys linebacker Keanu Neal has officially been ruled out Monday’s game against the Philadelphia Eagles after testing positive for COVID-19.
Neal was initially placed on the NFL’s COVID-19 list as a close contact, and because Neal was unvaccinated he had to stay away from the team for five days and test daily. As a close contact, If he had been able to test negative through the weekend there was a chance he would have been able to play Monday night.
But on Saturday Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy said Neal has tested positive and so now he has been ruled out for the Eagles game, however, there’s also a chance he could miss next Sunday’s game against the 3-0 Carolina Panthers.
Look for the Cowboys to use fellow linebackers Leighton Vander Esch and Jaylon Smith in Neal’s place in the team’s nickel defense.
Neal is one of two Cowboys (1-1) who will miss Monday night’s home opener against the Eagles (1-1) due to the NFL’s COVID protocols, joining defensive end Bradlee Anae.
The Cowboys have had 12 players placed in COVID-19 protocols since Aug. 21, and the team has had at least one player be ruled out for the first three games of the season.
In all, a total of five regular-season games will have been lost to COVID-19 by the end of Week 3. Guards Zack Martin and Brandon Knight missed the 31-29 season opening loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and defensive end Randy Gregory missed the 20-17 victory against the Los Angeles Chargers last weekend.
