Vrabel Sidelined by COVID-19

The Tennessee Titans coach tested positive a day after his team's 34-3 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and immediately separated himself from his team.

NASHVILLE – The Tennessee Titans have been forced to call an audible for the final week of the preseason.

Coach Mike Vrabel announced Sunday that he has tested positive for COVID-19, which means coaching duties must be shuffled as the team transitions to the next phase of its preparations for the 2021 NFL season. Beginning Monday, the Titans will change their daily schedule from the one they used during training camp to more of what they will do during the regular season.

To date, Vrabel has tested positive twice and awaits the results of a PCR test, which he said he expects to be positive as well.

The fourth-year head coach will remain quarantined for a minimum of 10 days unless he has two negative tests within 48 hours. In his absence, special teams coordinator Craig Aukerman, inside linebackers coach Jim Haslett and senior defensive assistant Jim Schwartz will assume greater responsibility. Haslett and Schwartz have been NFL head coaches.

“I’m sure I’ll be involved in the Zoom squad meetings,” Vrabel said. “I’m comfortable with Craig Aukerman, who has touched a lot of players in the special teams meetings. So, his reach in special teams goes on both sides of the football. [We’re] also very lucky to have Jim Haslett and Jim Schwartz, guys that have been head coaches in this league. So, there’s a lot of guys that we can lean on in that capacity.”

Thus far, there is no indication that the coronavirus is spreading through the team.

The Titans defeated the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 34-3 in a preseason game Saturday at Tampa. Vrabel coached that game and said he spent Sunday involved in reviewing game film, discussing personnel matters and receiving injury updates as he normally would a day after a game. Only he did so from a distance.

Tennessee was the first NFL franchise to have a significant coronavirus outbreak during the 2020 season. Ultimately, more than two dozen players and coaches were infected in a relatively short span, which led to two games being postponed and forced the team to play its final 13 games without a break.

“We’ve been through this,” Vrabel said. “And the most important thing is that we focus on everyone’s health, we focus on the families’ health, those people close to them. That’s really important to me. We’re going to be fine and we’ll figure this thing out. But the health of everyone involved is what’s most important.”

When Tennessee opened training camp on July 28, general manager Jon Robinson said that 90 percent of the players on the 90-man roster at that time were vaccinated against COVID-19. One prominent player, quarterback Ryan Tannehill, said he was in the process of being vaccinated at that time.

Saturday, the Titans will host the Chicago Bears in their preseason finale. The regular season opener is set for Sept. 12 against the Arizona Cardinals.

“No matter what the situation is, we’ll handle it,” Vrabel said. “And we’ll make every decision that’s in the best interest of the football team and our players and try to continue to get them prepared for Chicago this week and ultimately the regular season.”