What Is The NFL’s COVID Reserve List?

The NFL has a COVID reserve list for players who have either tested positive for the virus or have been in close contact with someone who has. Here’s what you need to know about it.

Introduction

The NFL’s COVID reserve list is a list of players who have tested positive for the coronavirus or have been in close contact with someone who has tested positive. Players on the list are not allowed to practice or play in games, but they can still be around the team and use team facilities.

The NFL has said that any player who tests positive for the coronavirus will be placed on the reserve list, but it’s up to each team to decide how to handle players who have been in close contact with someone who has tested positive. Some teams have decided to place those players on the reserve list as well, while others have allowed them to continue practicing and playing.

The COVID reserve list is different from the NFL’s regular season-ending injured reserve list, which is used for players who have suffered injuries that will keep them out for the rest of the season. Players on the COVID reserve list can return to the team at any time if they test negative for the virus or if they are cleared by a doctor.

What is the COVID Reserve List?

The NFL’s COVID Reserve List was created this offseason as a way to deal with the coronavirus pandemic. It allows teams to keep players who have tested positive for the virus or have been in close contact with someone who has tested positive, without putting them on the active roster.

Players on the COVID Reserve List do not count against the 53-man roster limit and can return to the active roster at any time. If a player tests positive for the virus, he must sit out at least five days before he can return to practice or play in a game. If he has been in close contact with someone who has tested positive, he must sit out at least 10 days.

The COVID Reserve List is different from the Injured Reserve List, which is used for players who are hurt and cannot play. Players on the Injured Reserve List do not count against the 53-man roster limit but they cannot return to the active roster during the season.

How does it work?

Players who test positive for COVID-19 are immediately placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list. They must miss at least 10 days and be cleared by team and league medical personnel before returning to practice or playing in a game. Players can be removed from the list at any time if they test negative. If a player tests positive within seven days of a game, he is ineligible to play.

Who is eligible to be on the list?

Players who test positive for COVID-19 or who have been in close contact with someone who has tested positive are eligible to be placed on the list. Players on the list must stay home and away from the team facilities until they have been cleared by team doctors.

Once a player has been cleared, he can return to practice and play in games. If a player tests positive while on the list, he will remain on the list until he tests negative twice in a row at least 24 hours apart.

How long can a player stay on the list?

Players can be placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list for a minimum of five days and can be reactivated any time after that.

What happens when a player is removed from the list?

When a player is placed on the NFL’s Reserve/COVID-19 list, he is not allowed to practice or attend games.

The team is not required to release any information about the player’s condition, and the player can be removed from the list at any time.

If a player tests positive for COVID-19, he must isolate for at least 10 days and receive clearance from a team doctor before returning to action.

What are the benefits of the COVID Reserve List?

The COVID Reserve List was created by the NFL as a way to allow teams to keep players who have tested positive for coronavirus or been in close contact with someone who has the virus, without having to use a standard roster spot.

Players on the list are still paid their full salary and can return to practice and play once they have cleared coronavirus protocols. Being on the list also means that teams can bring up players from their practice squad to fill any holes in the roster.

The COVID Reserve List can be used for both short-term and long-term planning. For example, if a team has a player who tests positive for coronavirus shortly before a game, they can put that player on the list and not have to worry about filling their spot on the roster. Likewise, if a team has multiple players who are close contacts and are unable to play in a game, they can put those players on the list and not have to worry about their roster being short-handed.

In addition to allowing teams to keep their rosters intact in the event of positive tests or close contacts, the COVID Reserve List also provides some salary cap relief. Players on the list do not count against the salary cap while they are sidelined.

Are there any drawbacks?

The biggest drawback of the Reserve/COVID-19 list is that it takes away a roster spot from a team, which limits the number of available players that team can have. It also means that if a player tests positive for the virus, they will have to sit out for at least three weeks, which could be a significant amount of time depending on when they test positive.

Conclusion

The NFL’s COVID reserve list is a newly created list for players who either test positive for the coronavirus or who have been in close contact with someone who has tested positive. Players on the list will miss at least three games.

The list is different from the traditional injured reserve list in that player salaries do not count against the salary cap while they are on the COVID reserve list. In addition, teams are allowed to activate two players from the COVID reserve list each week, provided they have been cleared to play by team doctors.

The NFL’s COVID reserve list is a necessary precaution to protect players and ensure that teams can field a competitive roster each week despite the outbreak of the coronavirus.