After Positive COVID-19 Test, Now What?

GREEN BAY, Wis. – The challenge of a short week has now become an unprecedented week for the Green Bay Packers.

On Monday, rookie running back AJ Dillon tested positive for COVID-19. That leads to two critical questions. One, given how much time the running backs spend together, are the rest of the players in the position group virus-free? And, two, with such a limited turnaround for Thursday night’s game at the San Francisco 49ers, can the game be played on schedule?

“We’ll have a plan for whatever comes our way,” coach Matt LaFleur, wearing a mask throughout his Zoom interview, said on Monday. “It doesn’t change the expectation or the standards that we have for ourselves. We’ll adjust accordingly.”

Later Monday afternoon, the Packers released their league-mandated injury report, even though they didn’t practice. Shortly thereafter, the team released an amended report that included running back Jamaal Williams and linebacker Kamal Martin. The reason for their presumptive absences was “not injury related,” according to the team.

If that connecting of dots wasn’t easy enough, consider this:

“We’ve got a couple of guys that we didn’t allow back into the building that had to get the rapid tests as well as the normal COVID test,” LaFleur said.

Indeed, on Monday evening, a source said, Williams and Martin “were determined to be close contacts. The league is evaluating if they were high-risk close contacts.”

If a high-risk close contact, the player must be isolated immediately and will not be permitted to return to the club facility until a minimum of five days have passed since his last contact with the infected individual. Thus, if Williams or Martin are deemed a close contact, he will not be available for a Thursday game.

With Dillon positive, the Packers turned to director of security Doug Collins and head athletic trainer Bryan Engel to do the requisite contact tracing. An obvious starting point for close contacts would be the running backs, a group that includes Dillon, Williams, Aaron Jones and position coach Ben Sirmans.

“We’re working through all that stuff right now,” LaFleur said. “The one thing about our meeting rooms, our guys have done a pretty good job of making sure we are not within that 6-feet radius of one another and that we’re spaced out. We’ll see what the reports say when they all get done doing all the research that the league has to do. But we feel confident that we’ve handled everything as well as we could have.”

The health of the running back room and the results of contact tracing might be the determining factor on whether the Packers play the 49ers on Thursday. The league has shown a willingness to move games throughout the week to get them played. The scheduled Thursday kickoff provides some latitude, though it eliminates a primetime game.

“All indications point toward us playing on Thursday night,” LaFleur said. “I think the league has confidence that we’ve been handling things the right way in our building. So, that’s a credit to the guys in this building.”

To prevent an outbreak or, at least, limit its spread, the Packers have entered into the NFL’s “intensive protocols.” Those protocols allow up 10 players in the weight room. On Monday morning, even after the positive test, LaFleur had players report in shifts for “flush” workouts to help their bodies recover. The protocols also allow practices.

So, from an on-the-field perspective, it will almost be business as usual this week. Under the best of circumstances, the team wouldn’t practice this week, anyway.

Tuesday’s plan was – and will be, barring more positive tests – socially distanced team meetings at the stadium in the morning, a walk-through of the game plan, lunch, meetings and another walk-through. Those walk-throughs will encompass the concepts typically practiced on the field on Wednesday and Thursday.

“That’s typically what you do on a short week,” LaFleur said. “It’s so important for these guys to recover from a game. That’s a lot of wear and tear in the body, and certainly we know we’re at our best when our guys are fresh and can go out there and compete to the best of their ability. That was what we had planned and we’re sticking to that plan.”

The Packers aren’t the only team with issues. San Francisco put quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo (ankle) and tight end George Kittle (foot) are out with long-term injuries.

Here are the injury reports, with their participation levels being estimates.

Packers Injury Report

Full: CB Jaire Alexander (hand/knee).

Limited: LT David Bakhtiari (chest), LB Krys Barnes (shoulder/biceps), LS Hunter Bradley (groin), K Mason Crosby (calf/back), RB Tyler Ervin (wrist), OLB Rashan Gary (ankle), S Raven Greene (oblique), RB Aaron Jones (calf), CB Kevin King (quad), DT Tyler Lancaster (shoulder), TE John Lovett (knee), OLB Preston Smith (shoulder), WR Equanimeous St. Brown (knee).

Did not participate: TE Marcedes Lewis (knee), LB Kamal Martin (knee/not injury related), S Will Redmond (shoulder), S Vernon Scott (shoulder), T Rick Wagner (knee), RB Jamaal Williams (not injury related).

49ers Injury Report

Full: None

Limited: None

DNP: RB Tevin Coleman (knee), LB Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles (hamstring), QB Jimmy Garoppolo (ankle), WR Richie James (ankle), TE George Kittle (foot), WR Dante Pettis (shoulder), WR Deebo Samuel (hamstring), S Jaquiski Tartt (groin).