Bears wide receiver Thomas Ives tested positive for coronavirus Tuesday, a source said, making him their third practice-squad player to catch it this week. Contact tracing was underway Tuesday evening.
Most players were not at Halas Hall on Monday or Tuesday, and the team believes it is not in the middle of an outbreak. Contact tracing of linebacker Manti Te’o and defensive tackle LaCale London showed no high-risk exposures within the team, and those two cases were determined to be unrelated.
All three practice-squad players are on the reserve/COVID-19 list and will need to test negative in order to return.
Ives, from Hinsdale Central High School, has been on the Bears’ practice squad the last two seasons but hasn’t appeared in a game.
Bears coach Matt Nagy has strictly enforced the NFL’s pandemic protocol, and the team has had minimal issues with the virus.
The league ramped up its safeguards last week, requiring all teams to keep players out of their facilities on Mondays and Tuesdays. The Bears will resume practice Wednesday in advance of their home game against the Texans on Sunday.
