QB Ryan Tannehill to COVID-19 list; Titans now have 8 players, coach on reserve
Aug 26, 2021, 8:26 AM | Updated: 2:42 pm
Quarterback Ryan Tannehill is among the Tennessee Titans to land on the COVID-19 list with 17 days between Thursday and the team’s season opener at home against the Arizona Cardinals.
Tannehill, tight end Geoff Swaim and linebacker Justin March-Lillard and defensive tackle Kyle Peko were added to the reserve list Thursday. They join linebacker Harold Landry, running back Jeremy McNichols, linebacker Nick Dzubnar and defensive lineman Anthony Rush on the list.
The Titans have been practicing without head coach Mike Vrabel since Monday, as he’s quarantined at home after testing positive Sunday morning.
With at least nine people currently away from the team, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports there are a minimum of “three player cases and two coach cases” of the coronavirus.
General manager Jon Robinson told reporters Thursday that the team is at a 97% rate of players who have been vaccinated or have antibodies. That means breakthrough cases have occurred within the Titans’ organization, including Vrabel’s case.
Players who are vaccinated can return with a negative COVID-19 test two days in a row or with a 10-day minimum absence. That would still put players such as Tannehill in line to return for a regular week of practice before playing Arizona in Week 1.
Special teams coordinator Craig Aukerman has helped run practices, while defensive coordinator Shane Bowen has filled in by talking to reporters.
Bowen was the first coach to test positive last September during the NFL’s first COVID-19 outbreak during the season, before a vaccine was available.
The Titans’ outbreak eventually involved 14 players and nine other personnel.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
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