Could the NFL get to zero players on the Covid/Reserve list?
On the Yahoo Sports NFL Podcast, Terez Paylor and Charles Robinson marvel at the fact that only 12 players currently sit inactive on the reserve/Covid-19 list. Could that number eventually reach zero or with the return of padded practices, is the league destined to see that number creep up? Hear the full conversation on the Yahoo Sports NFL Podcast. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen.
Video Transcript
CHARLES ROBINSON: There's like, 12 guys. It's kind of fluctuating a little bit. But when we're taping this, it was like 12 guys who are currently on that COVID reserve list and will be rotating off it. Do you think there's a possibility that a week from now or maybe 10 days from now we could actually get to 0? Could there-- could we get the goose egg in the NFL with all these guys? Could there be not a player on the COVID reserve list?
TEREZ PAYLOR: Not with all this hitting starting this week. Not with all the breathing and bleeding and all stuff.
CHARLES ROBINSON: There it is.
TEREZ PAYLOR: This is-- no, look, there's hitting this week, man so. I don't want to be a downer though because I think that's good. Like, that's a cool thing, and like we've talked a lot about how these different teams have done a lot to try to make their facilities as safe as possible.
But there's 32 teams, man, and there's 80 guys in camp. Like, at some point, somebody's going to go somewhere they're not. And you're just going to have to mitigate it.
CHARLES ROBINSON: It's going to sneak in.
TEREZ PAYLOR: Well, yeah. I mean, we've already seen instances of guys trying to skirt the rules a little bit.
CHARLES ROBINSON: Yeah.
TEREZ PAYLOR: You know, at the end of the day, I don't think you're trying to pitch a shutout here. I think this is a positive thing, and I'm happy about that. But I think we're all going to have to keep a real close eye on the next week because guys are getting closer right now. The hitting is starting, and we're really kind of getting to the grind of camp. But Charles, I hope so, man. I hope so I know you do too.
CHARLES ROBINSON: I do. And I really actually-- when I sat back and I thought about it, someone said, hey look, you know, the real test here is going to be after week 1 when half the teams in the league have traveled. And let's see how those week two tests come back, and let's see if everybody stays on point.
Now granted my response to that was absolutely. There's no doubt. That is a watershed moment. You know, you can feel better if you don't go into week 2 and then there aren't positive tests. But again, I thought to myself even, you know, the point is you can't ever relax. So even if you have a good week 1, 2, 3-- this is the marathon of all marathons. You literally cannot lose focus the entire season because one guy can really blow up a team situation.
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