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The Latest NFL News and Notes

Well, NFL training camps are underway, and for the moment, it’s all systems go for the 2020 season. Of course, this isn’t going to be a normal season, and a lot is going on, so let’s check out everything you need to know.

The Opt-Out List

On Thursday, the deadline passed for NFL players to opt-out of the 2020 season over concerns about playing in the middle of the ongoing pandemic. Officially, 67 players have decided to sit out the season.

Among the notable players who won’t take the field in 2020 are Kansas City’s Laurent Duvernay-Tardif and Damien Williams, Seattle’s Chance Warmack, New England’s Dont’a Hightower and Patrick Chung, Chicago’s Eddie Goldman, Buffalo’s Star Lotulelei and E.J. Gaines, Philadelphia’s Marquise Goodwin, Green Bay’s Devin Funchess, Denver’s Ja’Wuan James, Miami’s Allen Hurns and Albert Wilson, San Francisco’s Travis Benjamin, Detroit’s Russell Bodine, and C.J. Mosley of the Jets, among many others.

The Count on COVID

The NFL Players’ Association confirmed that 56 NFL players have tested positive for COVID-19 since the start of training camp. That’s an average of nearly two players per team and roughly 2% of the total players in training camp.

Without a bubble format like the NBA or NHL, positive tests are inevitable. However, the NFL is doing its best to keep the infection rate as low as possible. As long as the rate doesn’t climb higher than 2%, the season should unfold as scheduled.

Mr. Confident

Pittsburgh coach Mike Tomlin has thrown in his two cents, saying that he’s “confident” that the NFL will be able to sidestep any bumps in the road and play the 2020 season. The NFL has had a chance to watch Major League Baseball play a season outside of a bubble and learn from MLB having to postpone over a dozen games.

In a way, that should help the NFL figure out a way to get through the season. “I respect the challenges these circumstance has presented to other leagues, some of which we are witnessing,” says Tomlin. I think we are all proceeding with caution and working extremely hard not to become part of that.”

Testing Error

This week, the Detroit Lions moved quarterback Matthew Stafford back to the active roster from the COVID-19 list, claiming he had a false-positive test. Stafford had a test come back positive last weekend, only to have his next three tests come back negative.

The Lions have made it clear that Stafford never had COVID-19. Unfortunately, there is only so much teams can do to prevent false-positive tests, which could cause a player to miss a game during the season.

Let’s Get Virtual

With the possibility of fans being able to attend NFL games this fall very much up in the air, the NFL is reportedly considering the use of virtual fans, much like it did during the draft. Several teams already know that they won’t be able to host fans for games due to the current spread of the virus in their part of the country and restrictions in place from local or state governments.

Meanwhile, some teams hold hope that they can fill stadiums to as much as 40% capacity this season. The league and the NFLPA are still working out the details on game-day protocol, but with fan presence likely being minimal, the NFL is leaning toward virtual fans to help improve the atmosphere inside stadiums.

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