Packer Central

Lewis Joins COVID List; Could Play Sunday Following Protocol Change

The NFL on Tuesday adopted the revised CDC policy that changes the recommended isolation time from 10 days to five days.

Bill Huber

GREEN BAY, Wis. – The Green Bay Packers’ swelling COVID number grew to 12 with tight end Marcedes Lewis and linebacker Oren Burks added to the list on Tuesday.

However, the CDC’s decision to shorten the recommended time for isolation from 10 days to five days could limit the impact. The NFL and NFLPA on Tuesday afternoon voted to change its protocols to match the CDC guidance.

“Citing data showing that transmission of the Omicron variant typically occurs only shortly after a person is infected, the CDC updated its guidance for the required period of isolation for individuals who test positive for COVID-19,” stated a league memo. “The NFL and the NFL Players Association have consulted with their respective medical experts who have recommended that we modify the NFL-NFLPA Protocols as set forth below to correspond with the updated CDC guidance.”

With that, the players on the Packers’ COVID list could be back in time for Sunday night’s game against the Minnesota Vikings, so long as they are fever-free, other symptoms have improved and they get a doctor's approval.

Lewis, whose 27-game starts streak is the longest at the position, has been the main man at tight end since Robert Tonyan suffered a torn ACL. He is far and away the best blocker on the unit. Burks is a key player on special teams and can provide depth at inside and outside linebacker.

Because the Omicron variant is so transmissible, the virus is running roughshod through the NFL even though about 95 percent of players are vaccinated. As of Tuesday, there have been 560 positive tests this month, according to NFL Research. The overwhelming majority of those, 515, have come the last two weeks, with 39 added on Tuesday.

The spread has Packers coach Matt LaFleur dreading any conversations with head athletic trainer Bryan “Flea” Engel.

“This thing, you never know,” LaFleur said on Monday. “Every time I get a text Flea, I’m always holding my breath now like, ‘All right who’s next?’ That’s why we’ve got to make sure that guys are trying to take every precaution that we can to make sure we stay healthy, safe and are available.”

Of the dozen players out due to COVID, only Lewis is a starter.

LaFleur kept the players at home for virtual meetings on Monday. Tuesday is the players’ day off. On Wednesday, a practice week unlike any other during LaFleur’s three seasons as coach will begin. Chances are, there will be more positive tests over the coming days. Any players who test positive on Wednesday and beyond will be out for Sunday. Who will it strike? How much time will LaFleur have to adapt? Is there enough depth if there are multiple positive tests in one position group?

“Certainly, you’re trying to take every step to mitigate the risks within, especially within your building,” LaFleur said. “We’re definitely going to look at how we can do that around here, just making sure we mask up as a team when we’re inside and then try to keep people as spread out as possible – maybe even contemplating, if we get more of these, maybe going to virtual meetings and then just showing up when we want to get together to go out on the field.

“So, we’ll look at everything because we do know this: The availability thing is real. When you have your players available, I think we’re a pretty darn good football team and we need to try to keep as many people available as possible.”

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Bill Huber
BILL HUBER

Bill Huber, who has covered the Green Bay Packers since 2008, is the publisher of Packers On SI, a Sports Illustrated channel. E-mail: packwriter2002@yahoo.com History: Huber took over Packer Central in August 2019. Twitter: https://twitter.com/BillHuberNFL Background: Huber graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, where he played on the football team, in 1995. He worked in newspapers in Reedsburg, Wisconsin Dells and Shawano before working at The Green Bay News-Chronicle and Green Bay Press-Gazette from 1998 through 2008. With The News-Chronicle, he won several awards for his commentaries and page design. In 2008, he took over as editor of Packer Report Magazine, which was founded by Hall of Fame linebacker Ray Nitschke, and PackerReport.com. In 2019, he took over the new Sports Illustrated site Packer Central, which he has grown into one of the largest sites in the Sports Illustrated Media Group.

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