KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Another 21 NFL players were placed connected the reserve/COVID-19 database Tuesday, including Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Tyreek Hill, cornerback Rashad Fenton and choky extremity Blake Bell.
They were among 9 players, including 2 connected the signifier squad, who joined choky extremity Travis Kelce and kicker Harrison Butker connected Kansas City’s increasing list.
The Chiefs besides person Charvarius Ward connected the list, which means 2 of their apical 3 cornerbacks are successful the league’s microorganism protocol, on with antiaircraft tackle Chris Jones, linebacker Willie Gay Jr. and wide receiver Josh Gordon.
Linebacker Nick Bolton, violative lineman Kyle Long, close tackle Lucas Niang and information Armani Watts besides were added to database connected Tuesday.
On Monday, the archetypal time nether the NFL’s revised protocols, 47 players were placed connected the COVID-19 list, the astir successful a azygous time since the pandemic began.
Another receiver connected an AFC contender tested affirmative Tuesday erstwhile the Buffalo Bills placed wideout Cole Beasley — the team’s astir vocal vaccine professional — connected the COVID-19 list. Unvaccinated players aren’t eligible to instrumentality for 10 days truthful Beasley wouldn’t beryllium disposable for Sunday’s crippled astatine New England with archetypal spot successful the AFC East connected the line.
Buffalo could present beryllium missing 2 starting receivers aft Emmanuel Sanders missed this past weekend’s triumph implicit Carolina due to the fact that of a genu injury.
Beasley, who was fined by the NFL past summertime for failing to deterioration a disguise wrong the team’s facility, threatened to discontinue successful June implicit however the league’s COVID-19 protocols specifically targeted unvaccinated players.
In July, Beasley opened grooming campy by saying he’s not anti- oregon pro-vaccination, but pro choice, successful criticizing the NFL for failing to supply transparent accusation successful making their prime to get vaccinated. In doing so, helium contradicted manager Sean McDermott for saying the squad has done everything imaginable to amended its players.
For the Chiefs, Jones, Gay and Gordon tested affirmative past week and missed Thursday night’s triumph implicit the Chargers. There’s a bully accidental the trio could instrumentality 2 antagonistic tests and beryllium disposable for this week’s crippled against the Steelers.
“I’m hoping they’re going to beryllium there, but we conscionable person to spot however it goes,” Chiefs manager Andy Reid said. “You know, there’s a matrix of things you person to enactment out. That’s wherever (head trainer) Rick Burkholder comes in. I can’t beryllium present and archer you however each that works close now. Rick is moving done everything each time to spot wherever we’re at.”
Burkholder was among the experts that the NFL consulted during the offseason to devise its COVID-19 protocol.
Kelce, Butker and Ward tested affirmative connected Monday, erstwhile the Chiefs began to instrumentality from their agelong weekend. The squad did not person immoderate ceremonial meetings oregon signifier until Tuesday and volition statesman crippled mentation successful earnest connected Wednesday.
Until the past 2 weeks, the Chiefs had navigated the play comparatively unscathed erstwhile it came to COVID-19, losing lone prima information Tyrann Mathieu for a week and a mates of relation players. But the accelerated transmission of the omicron variant crossed the league has deed Kansas City hard, resulting successful immoderate of their astir important players going connected the list.
Hill is 2nd successful the league with 102 catches and 4th with 1,178 yards to spell on with 9 touchdown catches. He had 12 catches for 148 yards and a touchdown successful his astir caller crippled against Los Angeles, breaking a necktie with Chris Burford for 3rd spot successful franchise past with 56 touchdown receptions.
Hill needs conscionable six much catches to walk Kelce’s single-season franchise grounds of 105 acceptable past year.
Meanwhile, Kelce is coming disconnected a crippled against the Chargers successful which helium caught 10 passes for a career-high 191 yards on with the tying TD precocious successful the 4th fourth and the victor successful overtime. Kelce has 1,066 yards receiving this season, the sixth consecutive of astatine slightest 1,000 — a grounds for some the Chiefs and for NFL choky ends.
“I deliberation this twelvemonth has been large for him wherever helium hasn’t enactment up the aforesaid numbers, but his mentality has ne'er changed. He’s been a person connected this team,” Chiefs backmost Patrick Mahomes said.
“When his fig gets called, helium goes retired determination and makes plays successful large moments. That’s what peculiar players do. He’s a peculiar player. I’m gladsome he’s connected my team.”
Together, Hill and Kelce person fractional of the Chiefs’ receptions and much than fractional of their yards receiving this season.
If Hill is incapable to play Sunday, the Chiefs volition beryllium forced to trust much heavy connected inconsistent Mecole Hardman and Demarcus Robinson on with Byron Pringle arsenic they effort to support the No. 1 effect successful the AFC playoff race.
Kelce and Bell connected the COVID-19 database would permission rookie Noah Gray arsenic the lone choky extremity connected the progressive roster.
On the antiaircraft side, which has helped substance the Chiefs’ seven-game triumph streak, the lack of Jones and Gay against the Chargers was evident successful their inability to unreserved backmost Justin Herbert.
The Chiefs would desperately similar them backmost connected the tract against Pittsburgh, particularly if they are without Fenton and Ward connected the backmost end.
“We’ve had a mates things past week wherever we had to marque a mates abrupt changes,” Reid said earlier this week. “I’m not going to walk a ton of clip connected it. That’s what Rick does, truthful Rick explains it to the coaches and to the players, and past we rotation with it. He’s the 1 that’s enactment a batch of clip into it and continues to enactment a batch of clip into it.”
Also:
— Washington cornerback Troy Apke cleared microorganism protocol successful clip to instrumentality a backstage level to Philadelphia for the crippled against the Eagles that was moved to Tuesday night. Quarterbacks Taylor Heinicke and Kyle Allen did not trial antagonistic successful clip to beryllium cleared to play, putting Garrett Gilbert successful enactment to commencement days aft Washington signed him. Kyle Shurmur was promoted from the signifier squad to backmost up Gilbert. Also retired for Washington due to the fact that of COVID-19 protocols were 2020 All-Pro defender Brandon Scherff, cornerback Kendall Fuller, violative tackle Cornelius Lucas and information Kamren Curl.
— The Ravens enactment linebacker Pernell McPhee connected the COVID-19 list. He had been connected injured reserve but was designated for instrumentality Monday.
— Packers wide receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling and Texans antiaircraft lineman Jaleel Johnson besides person been placed connected the COVID-19 list. Valdes-Scantling was coming disconnected 1 of his astir productive performances of the season, arsenic helium had 5 catches for 98 yards and a touchdown successful a 31-30 triumph astatine Baltimore.
— The Jets placed rookie near defender Alijah Vera-Tucker and cornerback Michael Carter II connected the COVID-19 list. They besides activated QB Mike White from the list.
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