The Tennessee Titans had one additional player test positive for COVID-19, while the latest round of coronavirus testing yielded no positive results for the Minnesota Vikings, an NFL spokesperson told ESPN’s Dan Graziano.
The league found no close contacts with the Titans player whose test came back positive Wednesday, which indicated to the NFL that its isolation procedures are working in this case, the spokesperson said.
The NFL announced Tuesday that three Titans players and five team personnel members tested positive for the coronavirus. The three players — starting nose tackle DaQuan Jones, long-snapper Beau Brinkley and practice squad tight end Tommy Hudson — have been placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list. Those who tested positive have been asymptomatic as of Tuesday morning, a source told Graziano.
The Titans have closed their team facilities until Saturday.
Although no official decision has been made about the Titans’ game Sunday against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Nashville, the NFL wants and intends to have that game played as scheduled, a source told ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Tuesday. One of the contingency plans to allow for additional testing and contact tracing would be to move the game to Monday night, a source told ESPN.
Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger said Wednesday that the team is continuing to prepare to play Sunday.
“We were told during training camp that this could happen. … We were told that there might be a situation that, if you aren’t careful and there were some COVID issues here in Pittsburgh, we might not be able to practice until Friday or Saturday,” Roethlisberger said. “… I don’t want to say it is what it is, but that’s why the plan was put in place to have guys, to be prepared and why so many people, in Pittsburgh and Tennessee too, are being diligent in not going out and being reckless.”
The Vikings, who played the Titans on Sunday, said Tuesday that they had no positive tests through that morning’s round of testing. The Vikings also closed their team facilities Tuesday.
“This is not unexpected,” NFL commissioner Roger Goodell wrote Tuesday to the chief executives and presidents for every team in a memo, which was obtained by ESPN. “There will be players and staff who will test positive during the season.”
The Vikings’ next game is Sunday at the Houston Texans.
Texans coach Bill O’Brien said Wednesday that they were told by the league to expect to play on Sunday, adding that they had their own scare with two “false positives” before playing the Steelers last Sunday.
