Doug Pederson Tests Positive for COVID-19

The Eagles head coach will step away from team until he goes through various protocols; Duce Staley will take over as interim head coach

Eagles head coach Doug Pederson has tested positive for COVID-19 and broke the news to the team prior to a Sunday evening meeting, according to an anonymous Eagles source.

Pederson told the team that he is asymptomatic and feels fine. 

Passing game coordinator/quarterbacks coach Press Taylor was also sent home, per a report from ESPN. A source confirmed that the staffer has so far tested negative for the virus.

The Eagles confirmed Pederson's positive test via Twitter.

pic.twitter.com/x99Lr9iXzo

— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) August 3, 2020

Another source told SI.com's EagleMaven that Duce Staley is expected to take over as the head coach until Pederson can go through the proper protocols. Staley is the Eagles’ assistant head coach and running backs coach.

Pederson is the second NFL coach to test positive. Earlier this offseason, New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton also tested positive, but he has returned to work.

Three Eagles players landed on the Active/COVID-19 list last week: Offensive linemen Lane Johnson and Jordan Mailata and linebacker Nathan Gerry. 

Johnson, the team's starting right tackle, confirmed via social media that he tested positive for COVID-19, but the other two players don't necessarily have to test positive to be placed on the list. They could have been exposed to someone who had tested positive.

Per the NFL guidelines, any club employee who tests positive but remains asymptomatic can return if:

A) Ten days have passed since the individual first tested positive for COVID-19, or

B) Five days have passed since the individual initially tested positive for COVID-19 and the individual receives two consecutive negative PCR virus tests, at least 24 hours apart, within that five-day period, and

C) The club’s head team primary care sports medicine physician, after consultation with Infection Control for Sports (formerly DICON) and the NFL Chief Medical Officer, determines that the individual may return to the club facility and interact with other Tier One or Tier Two individuals, club employees/contractors.

Pederson said last Monday that he “felt safe” being at the team’s facility and players, as well as assistant coaches, have echoed that sentiment throughout the week during videoconference calls with reporters.

“I feel extremely safe,” said Pederson. “Obviously coming into it, there might have been some skepticism about the testing and the screening that goes on but it's very thorough. When you're here, you get tested in the morning, you have a screening process that you have to go through to get into the building; wearing masks in the building, everywhere we go, I feel extremely safe.

“This is our bubble right here at NovaCare. I can't control everything. We can't control everything. There probably are going to be some things that come up down the road, but right now, I feel extremely safe and this is a great environment for our players to succeed in.”

Pederson was also asked if he had given thought to contingency plans if a staff member or player should test positive and said:

“We have to have a plan for everything as you know,” he said. “I think there has to be a plan in place for any coach or any staff member that may miss a couple of days or a couple of weeks because of the virus.

“So those are all things that are running through my mind. Again, we are in a different environment and we all have to do our part to protect ourselves, protect our players and our families and hopefully we minimize any setbacks.”

The Eagles are currently in an acclimation period now and there is no real practice until Aug. 12. Pads can't go on until Aug. 17. If Pederson remains asymptomatic it's possible he misses very little of real practice.

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SI.Com EagleMaven Contributor John McMullen helped with this story.