Positive COVID-19 Tests Cause Shut Down

The organization will work remotely after five staff members, three players test positive.

NASHVILLE – The Tennessee Titans expected to begin preparations for the Pittsburgh Steelers on Tuesday.

Instead, they were confronted with a different challenge.

According to a release from the team, “several” members of the organization tested positive for COVID-19. The NFL issued a statement a short time later that said five staff members and three players.

As a result, franchise officials elected to have the entire organization work remotely for the day. Subsequent reports said all in-person team activities would be suspended through Friday.

“On Tuesday morning, the Titans COVID testing results returned three new player positives and five new personnel positives,” the NFL and NFLPA said in a joint statement released by the league. “The Titans will suspend in-person club activities starting today. Likewise, the Vikings, who played the Titans on Sunday, will also suspend in-person club activities. Both clubs are working closely with the NFL and the NFLPA, including our infectious disease experts, to evaluate close contacts, perform additional testing and monitor developments. All decisions will be made with health and safety as our primary consideration. We will continue to share updates as more information becomes available.”

Outside linebackers coach Shane Bowen did not travel with the team to Minnesota last Saturday after he was informed of a positive test that morning. That led to a change in coaching duties during Sunday’s game, which the Titans won 31-30.

Only one player, rookie tackle Isaiah Wilson, is on the COVID-19 reserve list. He has been there since Sept. 6. Coach Mike Vrabel said Monday that he was hopeful Wilson could return to team activities today.

In a season shaped by the COVID-19 pandemic, Tuesday has become a critical part of the work week.

“We've been having Monday off … and then come back in on Tuesday, [when league rules] allow us to meet with a little larger group,” Vrabel said last week. “I think that the protocols are the day after the game you could be in here, but you can't have meetings with more than 15 players.”

Tennessee is one of seven teams to be unbeaten through the first two weeks of the season. The Titans are scheduled to play their next three games at home, the first two against teams that are also 3-0, Pittsburgh and Buffalo.

“The contact tracing has become something that everybody is very mindful of that when there's test results that maybe are inconclusive, false negative or false positive, that it turns into – you go back to these contact tracings,” Vrabel said last week. “… We have to be very mindful of the physical and social distancing that happens because of the fact that you could get an inconclusive test on Sunday morning and then that would then trigger a trickle-down effect to the contact tracing.”