For a second straight day, the Kansas City Chiefs are dealing with the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Chiefs head coach Andy Reid announced Tuesday that defensive lineman Chris Jones is in the NFL’s COVID-19 protocol. Reid did not reveal whether Jones tested positive or is considered a close contact to someone who tested positive. In either situation, Jones’ vaccination status will play a large role in how long he must stay away from the team’s facility. In accordance with the league’s COVID-19 protocols, vaccinated players or staff members who test positive and are asymptomatic are allowed to return following two negative tests 24 hours apart. If Jones is not vaccinated, he would fall under the league’s 2020 COVID-19 protocols, which requires a 10-day isolation period.
Reid’s announcement comes a day after the Chiefs placed wide receiver Josh Gordon on the reserve/COVID-19 list. Gordon later took to Twitter to announce he is vaccinated despite testing positive. Reid indicated that Jones’ and Gordon’s availability for Thursday night’s game against the Los Angeles Chargers will depend on testing protocols. “We’ll just see how that goes,” Reid said. Kansas City could overcome the potential absence of Gordon, but adjustments along the defensive front will occur if Jones, arguably the team’s best interior pass rusher, can’t play. The Chiefs are among numerous teams around the league to deal with the effects of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours.
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On Monday, the NFL saw a total of 36 players land on the reserve/COVID-19 list, the most since the list was created in 2020, according to the NFL Network. The Cleveland Browns on Tuesday announced a total of eight players were placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list. Monday’s results prompted the league to issue a mandate for Tier 1 and Tier 2 members to receive the booster shot by Dec. 27. The first tier consists of coaches, players, physicians, athletic trainers and select staff members requiring direct access to players. The second tier is comprised of general managers, members of football operations and select assistant coaches, among others. Reid, who revealed Tuesday that he has received a booster shot, said the NFLPA will handle the league’s guidance to players. “The players union takes care of that,” Reid said. “I’ve done it and so I always let the guys know where I’m at with it. It’s not because I’m old. It seems with the numbers out there, the booster seems to be working.”
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Quarterback Patrick Mahomes said it’s important for he and his teammates to not get complacent in the COVID-19 environment. “When you know you’re down the stretch run, you have to take it seriously because you want to be available,” Mahomes said. “It’s just kind of like any other injury that you would get at this point. I mean, you want to try to do whatever you can to be available for the team, and if that means having to kind of distance yourself in the locker room or distance yourself when you’re back home with your family, you have to try to do that. “We understand that it’s kind of became part of the world, it’s something that you can’t really control all the time. But do the best you can to kind of help yourself, help the guy next to you to be available for your team so you can go out there and hopefully win football games.”
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