The wave of positive COVID-19 cases sweeping through the NFL hasn’t yet touched the New Orleans Saints, but head coach Sean Payton missed practice Wednesday while feeling “under the weather,” team officials said. The Saints added that Payton tested negative for COVID-19, but he’s still choosing to work from home while not feeling well.
Players miss practices all the time with minor illnesses, so this isn’t a big surprise. And Wednesdays are typically low-impact sessions devoted to installing the game plan and opening script of 15 to 20 plays on offense, which Payton’s assistants could handle without him. We’ll see if he returns to work on Thursday.
Hopefully this isn’t anything major, Dozens of players and coaches have entered league COVID-19 protocols in recent days including Cleveland Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski and quarterback Baker Mayfield. While the Saints did add three of their own players to the COVID-19 list last week, they’re hoping to see defensive end Cameron Jordan, running back Mark Ingram, and wide receiver Ty Montgomery return to the lineup sooner rather than later.
