Another day, another report of new positive COVID tests from the Titans. Sunday morning’s results (from Saturday morning’s tests) indicate that one more player and one more staff member tested positive, per Ian Rapoport.
This now brings us to 20 confirmed positive tests in the past two weeks for the Titans. Here is the information that we know about those tests:
- 10 are non-player personnel and that number includes multiple coaches, though it doesn’t mean that all 10 are coaches.
- Outside linebackers coach and defensive playcaller Shane Bowen is the only non-player that is confirmed to have been among that 10.
- 10 are players, and we know that includes WR Adam Humphries, DL DaQuan Jones, DL Jeffery Simmons, LS Beau Brinkley, OLB Kamalei Correa, CB Kristian Fulton, WR Cameron Batson, practice squad DB Greg Mabin, and practice squad TE Tommy Hudson. We should learn the identity of the 10th player around 3:30 p.m. CT today.
- OL Isaiah Wilson also remains on the reserve/COVID list, though he hadn’t been in the team facility for several weeks and is not connected to the current outbreak.
Whether a person if symptomatic or asymptomatic impacts the return protocol from the NFL. We published a breakdown at the end of last week on what needs to happen for the Titans to return their facility. You can read that piece here.
Adam Schefter has now confirmed that the league is wanting to see two consecutive days of negative tests before re-opening the Titans facility.
If the tests from today and tomorrow (reported results lag one day behind the actual test date) come back negative, that would give the Titans a chance to have a “normal” Wednesday-Thursday-Friday practice schedule with a walk through on Saturday in preparation for the Bills. Positive tests on either of those days could begin to put that game in jeopardy of being rescheduled as well.
At this point it is very likely that the Titans will be playing extremely shorthanded against Buffalo and could even be without a big chunk of these players — at least the symptomatic ones — for their Week 6 division game against Houston.
Tired of all the good news? Well, there’s more… the NFL is reportedly considering punishment — even up to a loss of draft pick — for the Titans if they are found to have broken protocols.
And frankly, if the Titans did willfully neglect parts of the protocols, they should have the hammer dropped on them. We will find out exactly what the league’s review turns up in the next few days. For now, we can only hope for the health and safety of the players and coaches who are fighting COVID and for all negative tests over the next few days.
