Cleveland Browns star Myles Garrett and the rest of his team will likely have to do battle Saturday afternoon against the Las Vegas Raiders without 19 players.
That’s the total numbers of Browns players who have been placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list this week in what has been one of several outbreaks of the virus around the NFL.
In talking to the media on Thursday, Garrett absolutely blasted the NFL’s COVID-19 testing procedures — a stance that lines up with some powers that be within the Players’ Association.
“The lack of testing we’ve done all year, only one time a week. It was kind of a recipe for disaster,” Myles Garrett told reporters.
For their part, the NFLPA is bringing to the forefront comments made by Garrett’s teammate and current union president JC Tretter from back in September. They seem applicable today.
Is Myles Garrett right to call out NFL over lack of COVID-19 testing?
For players in Garrett’s position, COVID-19 takes on an entirely new meaning. He has pre-existing conditions (Asthma) and dealt with a bad bout of the virus last season.
“I’m trying to be careful, trying to navigate it the best I can, trying to reduce the time around the facility, staying secluded to myself,” the NFL Defensive Player of the Year candidate said.
The question now becomes whether daily testing would even prevent the spread of the virus throughout the locker room. NFL Chief Medical Officer Dr. Allen Sills noted earlier in the week that testing does not prevent transmission.
“Testing is one of the tools that we have at our disposal, and it’s a very useful tool in certain areas,” Sills said. “But what testing doesn’t do is prevent transmission, and we’ve known that always. What we’re trying to do is prevent spread within the facility and keep people from testing positive.”
This is a very different approach than the NFL took last year during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. The league is also considering a variety of different policy changes relating to the virus, potentially including enabling asymptomatic and fully-vaccinated players to still suit up afer they test positive for the virus.
All of this comes on the heels of leading medical professionals around the United States concluding that Omicron will soon become the dominant COVID variant in the United States. Studies show it can spread easier, but comes with much milder symptoms than previous iterations of the virus.
Myles Garrett and the Cleveland Browns COVID-19 issues
Right now, it’s all about comeptitive balance. Would daily testing have prevented the spread of the virus in Cleveland? That’s up to interpretation. What we do know is that the Browns are behind the proverbial eight-ball with the NFL opting against postponing Saturday’s games. Just look at all of the players likely to be sidelined for a team with playoff aspirations.
- Baker Mayfield, quarterback
- Jarvis Landry, wide receiver
- Austin Hooper, tight end
- David Njoku, tight end
- Jedrick Wills Jr., offensive tackle
- Wyatt Teller, guard
- Takk McKinley, EDGE
- Malik McDowell, defensive tackle
- Ifeadi Odenigbo, EDGE
- Anthony Walker, linebacker
- Troy Hill, cornerback
- John Johnson III, safety
- Ronnie Harrison, safety
- Jamie Gillan, punter
- 5 practice squad player
That’s a total of nine starters for Cleveland likely to be out for Sunday’s game against Las Vegas as the team prepares for a playoff push.