CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The Carolina Panthers have sent all of their players home from Bank of America Stadium after six more players tested positive for COVID-19 on Monday.
That brings the total number of Carolina players on the COVID-19 reserve list to 13.
Defensive end Brian Burns, linebacker Shaq Thompson, defensive end Marquis Haynes, defensive tackle Phil Hoskins, center Matt Paradis and defensive tackle Daviyon Nixon all tested positive on Monday. Paradis and Nixon were already on injured reserve.
Panthers Coach Matt Rhule said the decision to send players home was made “to stem the tide” and get things under control. The team will conduct its meetings virtually until then, and Rhule is hoping to have players back in the building for practice on Wednesday.
The Panthers lost 32-6 to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday and have been eliminated from playoff contention. They visit the New Orleans Saints on Sunday.
• The Cincinnati Bengals placed backup quarterback Brandon Allen and already-injured cornerback/kick returner Darius Phillips on the reserve/COVID-19 list on Monday. Phillips (shoulder), who was the Bengals’ primary kick returner, has been on injured reserve since Dec. 9.
Allen has been the No. 2 quarterback behind starter Joe Burrow. The team will likely have to add a quarterback to the roster.
Starting defensive tackle D.J. Reader missed last Sunday’s game after going on the COVID-19 list on Dec. 20, the same day that starting cornerback Chidobe Awuzie came off it.
Cincinnati hosts Kansas City on Sunday.
• The Indianapolis Colts placed safety Jahleel Addae, cornerback T.J. Carrie, linebacker Malik Jefferson, running back Marlon Mack and tackle Braden Smith on the list. Smith has been a key member of the offensive line that has helped Jonathan Taylor lead the league in rushing.
• The Cleveland Browns, who have been hit as hard as any team by COVID-19 cases the past few weeks, activated eight players, including defensive end Jadeveon Clowney and versatile running back Kareem Hunt.
Clowney has missed the past two games – both losses – and his return will help a pass rush that hasn’t been the same without him. Starting left tackle Jedrick Wills Jr. is also back. He’s been replaced the last two games by left guard Joel Bitoni, who can slide back to his usual spot.
• Tampa Bay, hard hit by injuries on offense, put star wideout Mike Evans on the COVID-19 list, but activated wide receiver Breshad Perriman from it. Evans missed Sunday’s game with an injury.
• The Green Bay Packers placed G Ben Braden, LB Tipa Galeai, WR Amari Rodgers and LB Ty Summers on the list, and placed defensive lineman RJ McIntosh on the practice squad COVID-19 list.
• Seattle added defensive end L.J. Collier to the list. Collier played 25 snaps in Sunday’s loss to the Bears. Seattle has six players from the 53-man roster on the virus list.
• The Jacksonville Jaguars placed 10 players on the COVID-19 list, including five defensive linemen and two starting offensive linemen.
Because left guard Andrew Norwell is unvaccinated, he will be out at least 10 days under NFL protocols and will miss Sunday’s game at New England. The other nine players are vaccinated and have a chance to play against the Patriots.
The Jaguars already ruled out pass rusher Josh Allen, who also is unvaccinated and won’t be cleared in time to play. He tested positive for COVID-19 on Friday along with receiver Laviska Shenault and right guard Ben Bartch.
• The Tennessee Titans got left guard Rodger Saffold and rookie defensive back Elijah Molden back from the COVID-19 list. They still have two other offensive linemen still on the list, and they also put four players – including three starters –on the it, including outside linebacker Bud Dupree, wide receiver Julio Jones, defensive back Buster Skrine and receiver Nick Westbrook-Ikhine. They also put cornerback Caleb Farley, who’s on injured reserve, on the COVID-19 list as well.
Tennessee can clinch the AFC South for a second straight year with one victory, or an Indianapolis loss. The Titans host Miami on Sunday.
• The NFL mandated that all media covering playoff teams and games, and the Super Bowl, must have received a COVID-19 booster by Jan. 12. Exceptions are for: An individual who is not eligible for a booster pursuant to the CDC definition; An individual who has tested positive for COVID-19 in the past 90 days;An individual who received monoclonal antibodies within the immediately preceding 90 days.
JAGUARS: The Jacksonville Jaguars are getting an earlier-than-usual start on their coaching search.
This time, owner Shad Khan doesn’t have his guy already lined up.
The Jaguars (2-13) will begin setting up and interviewing candidates this week – the NFL now allows teams to start the process during the final two weeks of the regular season – and Khan is expected to cast a wide net in search of his fifth head coach in the past decade.
Khan had preliminary discussions with (and essentially targeted) Urban Meyer a year before he fired Doug Marrone following the 2020 season. Khan never imagined Meyer, one of college football’s winningest coaches, would be such an NFL debacle.
Khan fired Meyer on Dec. 16, ending one of the most turbulent and toxic coaching tenures in league history, and clearly needs to completely tear down and rebuild a woeful franchise that’s endured double-digit losses nine times in his 10 years.
Jacksonville has dropped 34 of its past 39 games, including a 26-21 nail-biter at the New York Jets on Sunday.
49ERS: QB Jimmy Garoppolo injured his right thumb in San Francisco’s loss at Tennessee last week and his status for the 49ers’ game this week is in doubt.
Garoppolo missed practice Monday because of the injury suffered in the first half of last Thursday’s loss at Tennessee and Coach Kyle Shanahan said the team would have a better idea about his availability later in the week for Sunday’s game against Houston.
The 49ers (8-7) currently hold a wild-card spot in the NFC.
“It’s a thumb sprain, so I think you guys know how those are,” Shanahan said. “It didn’t feel great today. He wasn’t able to throw today and we’ll see how it is on Wednesday. Hopefully it’ll get better.”
Shanahan said Garoppolo got hurt on a sack in the second quarter when he was driven to the ground but stayed in the game. Shanahan said he believed the injury played a role in the interception in the third quarter that set up Tennessee’s first touchdown.
Garoppolo was able to lead a game-tying drive, but San Francisco lost 20-17 to the Titans.
If Garoppolo is unable to play, rookie Trey Lance would get his second start of the season. The Niners traded three first-round picks to draft Lance third overall in April, but Lance has only played five snaps in garbage time since starting in Week 5 at Arizona.
Lance went 15 for 29 for 192 yards with an interception in that 17-10 loss and also ran 16 times for 89 yards. Lance hurt his knee in that game and has been showing positive signs in practice.
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