Mike Daniels Tests Positive For COVID-19, Multiple Players Could Be Close Contacts
CINCINNATI — Bengals defensive tackle Mike Daniels tested positive for COVID-19 according to Mike Garafolo of NFL Network.
He won't play in Sunday's season finale against the Ravens. The 31-year-old has 17 tackles and one quarterback hit in 11 games this season.
Daniels isn't the only player that could be in danger of missing Sunday's game. The Bengals moved their Saturday walkthrough to later today while they contact trace.
Anyone that is deemed a close contact with Daniels wouldn't be eligible to play even if they tested negative for the virus.
Another player on the roster has symptoms of COVID-19 according to Garafolo.
Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk is reporting that "up to 10 players" may be deemed close contacts with Daniels.
The Bengals have done a good job of avoiding any outbreaks, but this one could severely impact their chances of upsetting the Ravens on Sunday.
They're already going to be without cornerback William Jackson III. He suffered a concussion in Cincinnati's win over Houston.
Even Bengals head coach Zac Taylor is surprised that the NFL was able to reach Week 17 in the middle of a pandemic without cancelling any games.
"I looked back through my notes in July from our call with the league. The issues we were dealing with from that time, there’s no way I probably thought we would have gotten every game with to be honest with you," Taylor said on Monday. "Where we’re at is really impressive. I think the league and the teams have done a tremendous job handling it. The players, it’s become a part of their routine and they’ve done a great job handling it. What I miss the most is connecting with the players anywhere outside of the practice field. The team meetings on Zoom, all the meetings on Zoom, having to FaceTime with players because you can’t really meet with them in your office. All those things you miss tremendously."
For more on the Bengals, including the latest NFL news, go here!
