FOOTBALL

Falcons place CB Terrell on reserve/COVID-19 list

The Atlanta Falcons placed starting cornerback A.J. Terrell on the reserve/COVID-19 list Saturday.

The 2020 first-round draft pick will miss Sunday’s home game against the Chicago Bears. He will become the first NFL player to miss a game this season due to the coronavirus.

Terrell’s positive test was taken Friday morning and he practiced with the Falcons that day, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

“Now immediate contact tracing goes into effect, per league protocols, but the Falcons have not gotten any other positive test results,” Schefter posted on Twitter.

Terrell, who turned 22 on Tuesday, was the 16th overall pick in the draft out of Clemson. He started the first two games for Atlanta (0-2) and registered 11 tackles and one quarterback hit.

It’s another blow to a Falcons secondary that is already missing cornerback Kendall Sheffield (foot) and safety Ricardo Allen (elbow), who were both ruled out Friday.

Atlanta elevated cornerbacks Tyler Hall and Delrick Abrams from the practice squad and also promoted linebacker Edmond Robinson as a COVID-19 replacement for Sunday’s game with the Bears (2-0).

Bucs plan to admit more fans after governor’s order

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will open Raymond James Stadium to fans next weekend, now that Gov. Ron DeSantis has lifted restrictions on businesses throughout Florida.

On Friday, DeSantis signed an executive order that removed all rules that impacted businesses amid the coronavirus pandemic.

“We’re not closing anything going forward,” DeSantis said.

So the Buccaneers, who hadn’t planned on a return of fans until Week 6, will allow a limited number of spectators when they play the Los Angeles Chargers on Oct. 4.

While the team did not specify a target number, the Tampa Bay Times said attendance will be capped at 10,000. Beginning with the Oct. 18 game against the Green Bay Packers, Raymond James Stadium will be limited to 25 percent capacity, or 16,250, the Times said.

“We have been working tirelessly with local and state authorities, as well as medical experts, to ensure a safe environment at Raymond James Stadium,” Buccaneers COO Brian Ford said. “We are ready and excited to welcome our fans back.”

Only longtime season-ticket holders will have a chance to see quarterback Tom Brady lead the offense, however.

For the Chargers game, season seat holders who have held their tickets since 1998 or earlier will be given the first chance to but tickets. For the remaining home schedule, the Bucs will hold a “priority presale” for season pass members who kept their 2020 payments as credit toward 2021 games having the chance to buy limited tickets for up to two games.

As of Saturday, Florida’s other teams – the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Miami Dolphins – had not announced any modifications to their attendance plans.

Florida is the third in the United States in total cases of COVID-19 — trailing California and Texas — at almost 700,000 and reported 2,847 new cases in the past day, Johns Hopkins University reported.

NFL reminds team personnel to wear their masks

The NFL has fined coaches and teams $1.75 million so far this season for failing to comply with mask requirements aimed at stopping the spread of the coronavirus.

And on Friday, the league sent a memo reminding teams of the rules ahead of Week 3.

“All individuals, except for active players in the bench area, are required to wear face coverings at all times on game day, including on the sidelines and in the coaches’ booth,” said the memo, shared by NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero via social media.

The memo reiterated that the rule applies to all non-playing club personnel and “strongly encouraged” players who didn’t expect to substitute into the game to wear masks.

Pelissero also reported that the NFL is investigating an unnamed team for allowing unauthorized access to the locker room. The NFL’s strict COVID-19 protocols limit the non-players and coaches who can enter the locker room.

After Week 2 games, the NFL fined Pete Carroll (Seattle Seahawks), Kyle Shanahan (San Francisco 49ers), Vic Fangio (Denver Broncos), Sean Payton (New Orleans Saints) and Jon Gruden (Las Vegas Raiders) $100,000 each for violating the mask policy. Their teams also were assessed $250,000 each.

Vikings rule out top two CBs Hughes, Dantzler vs. Titans

The Minnesota Vikings will be without starting cornerbacks Mike Hughes and rookie Cameron Dantzler against the Tennessee Titans on Sunday, the team announced Friday.

Further, CB Kris Boyd (hamstring) is listed as questionable on the final injury report.

Dantzler missed Week 2 after injuring a rib against the Green Bay Packers in Week 1. Hughes, out with an injured neck, had his 2019 season cut short with a cracked vertebra.

The Vikings will turn to Holton Hill, rookie Jeff Gladney and Boyd, if he’s cleared to play. The Vikings also have Mark Fields and Harrison Hand.

“We’ve got a lot of corners on this team,” Vikings coach Mike Zimmer said Friday. “That’s part of the plan all along, to have some extra guys. We’ll be all right.”

The injuries come amid the loss of linebacker Anthony Barr for the season. Barr (torn pec) underwent surgery this week. The Vikings signed former Denver Broncos LB Todd Davis earlier this week but how much he plays Sunday is unclear.

The Vikings selected Dantzler in the third round of this year’s draft. He registered three tackles in Week 1.

Hughes registered 11 tackles in the first two games of the season. The third-year pro has two career interceptions in 22 games (seven starts).