The Bears became the latest NFL team faced with dealing with a case of COVID-19 within the organization this morning.
But all we knew when news broke was that the player was on the practice squad and not the active roster. Eventually, the Bears had to report to the league which player it was, and the team has done so.
Albert Breer of SI.com tweets the Bears placed offensive lineman Badara Traore on the reserve/COVID-19 list. The team has since confirmed the report and made the announcement, explaining that the list is for players who test positive or have been in close contact with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19.
Traore is a rookie who signed as an undrafted free agent after last spring’s Draft. The LSU product played 26 games over the span of two years with the Tigers. And while he didn’t project to make an impact soon, it’s always good to have developmental projects in the pipeline.
When the NFL’s protocols were first implemented, players needed to test negative three times in a four-day stretch. The updated steps toward a return are a bit more stringent.
> For instance, an asymptomatic player can return after 10 days pass after their initial positive test OR five days pass after the first initial positive, tests negative twice at least 24 hours apart within the aforementioned five-day period.
> As for a player player demonstrating symptoms of COVID-19, they can return to the team the at least 72 hours have passed since they last experienced symptoms OR at least 10 days after since symptoms first appeared.
In either case, Traore has some real hurdles to clear before getting back on the squad.