The Detroit Lions will get their quarterback back for their Week 9 matchup with the Minnesota Vikings, as Matthew Stafford has cleared the league’s health/safety protocols and has been removed from the reserve/COVID-19 list.
On Monday, Stafford was in close contact with an individual who tested positive for COVID-19 and immediately began isolating/testing. On Wednesday, the Lions announced Stafford was being placed on the reserve list while in isolation and it was reported he fell into the “high risk” category, meaning he needed to stay in isolation and receive negative results for five consecutive days before he could rejoin the team.
Those parameters have been met, Stafford has been cleared medically, and the Lions activated him back to the 53-man roster.
Stafford was unable to practice all week — he couldn’t even travel with the team to Minnesota because of the timeframe per NFL Network’s Tom Peliserro — but he was able to participate in group meetings virtually while in isolation. As a 12-year veteran, and the fact that the Lions have already played seven games, it shouldn’t take Stafford much time to get back in rhythm with his teammates.
“I think if you called Matt Stafford on an April day and said, ‘Hey, we’re going to go play a 60-minute football game,’ he’d be able to go out there and rip it,” coach Matt Patricia said about Stafford. “He’d be fine. He’d see defenses. He’d see coverage. He’d be doing all the right things. He’s a great vet. He knows how to play the game.”
Linebacker Jarrad Davis and practice squad safety Jalen Elliott both remain on the reserve/COVID-19 list at this time.
