The New England Patriots officially placed Cam Newton in reserve/COVID-19 on Saturday after the quarterback tested him for coronavirus on Friday night.
When can Newton return to the active list? That depends.
NFL back-to-game protocols are different for players who test positive but are asymptomatic and have symptoms.
Here are the needs of any of the groups, the NFL’s COVID-19 handbook:
– Asymptomatic players can be reactivated after 10 days have elapsed since the initial positive OR five days have elapsed since the initial positive and the player returns two consecutive negative PCR viruses separated for 24 hours.
– Symptomatic players cannot return until at least 10 days have elapsed since the first symptoms of COVID gave the impression Y at least 72 hours from the last onset of symptoms.
Players from any of the teams must also be legal through their team’s leading medical officer before returning.
We don’t know if Newton is symptomatic. Otherwise, he could theoretically go back in time for new England’s fifth week game with the Denver Broncos next Sunday.
If you have symptoms, at least this week’s game will be lost to the Kansas City Chiefs (which was postponed for Monday or Tuesday) and the Broncos game. The Patriots have been on leave for a week 6 lately, so unless there’s a schedule change, First Newton can get back to the box in that situation would be October 25 in front of the San Francisco 49ers.
The Patriots will take Newton’s position on the 53-man list with some other player until the quarterback returns. Veteran Brian Hoyer is expected to begin in opposition to Kansas City, several resources told Doug Kyed of NESN. com. pro Jarrett Stidham serving as an understudy.
Hoyer, 34, has 38 career games for six other franchises, however, it would be the first time he’s been started in the Patriots uniform. He has been New England’s QB2 since the start of the season, with Stidham, who made three games in the trash last season as a replacement for Tom Brady, having eliminated the first three games as a healthy scratch.