COVID Issues Expand Beyond O-Line

Linebacker Bud Dupree, wide receivers Julio Jones and Nick Westbrook-Ikhine among the players placed on the Reserve-COVID 19 list Monday.

Steve Roberts/USA Today Sports

NASHVILLE – COVID testing took a chunk out of the Tennessee Titans’ roster Monday.

Four players – plus one on injured reserve – were added to the Reserve-COVID 19 list. They are wide receivers Julio Jones and Nick Westbrook-Ikhine, outside linebacker Bud Dupree and cornerback Buster Skrine along with cornerback Caleb Farley, who has not played since mid-October because of a season-ending knee injury.

The moves created uncertainty about the availability of those players for Sunday’s game against the Miami Dolphins.

On a positive note, guard Rodger Saffold and rookie cornerback Elijah Molden were returned to the active roster from the COVID list.

Players who are unvaccinated must be out for 10 days. Those who are vaccinated can return to the active roster if they have two negative tests at least 24 hours apart or if the viral load in their body drops below certain levels.

Saffold’s return to the active roster comes five days after he was removed from the active roster. Molden was out of action for eight days.

Monday’s developments are the most significant evidence to date of an outbreak among the Titans. In recent days, four offensive linemen, beginning with Saffold, no more than one at a time. Left tackle Taylor Lewan, right guard Nate Davis and backup tackle Kendall Lamm have not yet cleared NFL protocols.

“(Players on the COVID list) check in with the trainer in the morning. They call and check in,” coach Mike Vrabel said Monday. “There is a testing cadence that they have to do. They pull up and they test, they stay in their car, they are tested and then they leave and go home. They Zoom meet. They Zoom meet in all three phases.

“Then the ones that are having no symptoms, I think they are starting to try to do some working out or based on how they feel, try to do some things that would normally help them and get them up moving around.”

Jones and Dupree recently returned to action after having missed three games apiece on injured reserve. Westbrook-Ikhine has been a critical performer for an offense that has been hit hard by injury issues at wide receiver. Skrine was signed last month and has been a starter and every-down player for the past three games.

-30-

Those moves come after several days in which one player at a time was sidelined by COVID.