The Tennessee Titans are looking at a situation in which they could be without a slew of players in Week 5 against the Buffalo Bills after the recent outbreak of COVID-19 the team experienced last week — that is, assuming they actually play the game.
Of the nine players to test positive recently, seven of them were on the 53-man roster: defensive linemen DaQuan Jones and Jeffery Simmons, outside linebacker Kamalei Correa, cornerback Kristian Fulton, long snapper Beau Brinkley, wide receiver Adam Humphries, and fullback Khari Blasingame.
Wide receiver Cameron Batson, who is on the practice squad and also tested positive based on reports, has played in two games after being elevated from the practice squad for game day this season.
On his radio show on Monday, head coach Mike Vrabel said the Titans are preparing to not have any of the players on the Reserve/COVID-19 list for Sunday’s game against the Bills (h/t ESPN’s Turron Davenport).
“There’s a lot of things that at this point in time we’re working through based on symptoms,” Vrabel said. “I’d plan on those guys not being with us this weekend. We can’t begin preparations counting on those players on that list.”
As for injured players like wide receiver A.J. Brown, cornerback Adoree’ Jackson and left tackle Taylor Lewan, Vrabel simply said that those players are “working their way toward getting back.”
There is a chance the Titans could get some of the players on the COVID-19 list back in time for the contest, but that will depend on what kind of symptoms these players are dealing with.
Players who are asymptomatic can be activated off the list and return five days after being placed there, while players with symptoms have to wait 10 days.
It isn’t clear which players exactly have experienced symptoms and which haven’t, but earlier reports have suggested there are indeed members of the organization who have tested positive and been asymptomatic.
We should get more clarity as the week progresses.
