NFL begins new temporary IR due to COVID-19
With NFL players and teams facing the new reality of playing during a pandemic, the league issued a statement Sunday implementing a new list for players.
A temporary IR list has been created specifically for players who have tested positive for COVID-19 as reported by Ian Rapoport. In a series of news breaks about the List, Rapoport said on Twitter that “Details are still emerging about the NFL/NFLPA deal: There’s a temporary IR for a COVID positive player & placement is immediate. His return is subject to medical clearance. A team may move up a P-squad player to replace him, then can return that player to the PS without waivers.”
He later followed up on that statement once more news was made available to him saying “This Injured Reserve is unlimited and allows the desired and necessary roster flexibility.”
Since the announcement of the newly-implemented list, five teams have already added players. NFL Network reporter Tom Pelissero shared a list on Twitter showcasing the additions:
Six NFL players have been placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list, per today’s transaction wire: pic.twitter.com/arAFUvJaAM
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) July 26, 2020
With this list now being apart of a team’s arsenal in the fight against COVID while attempting to play a full NFL season, not having COVID-positive players count towards the allotted IR reserve will come as a relief to teams as the season nears.
The hope is that this is a list that the Buffalo Bills will not have to use this coming season. They have appeared to be one of the franchises in the league to have a good handle on their plan entering the coming season. The Bills were one of eight NFL teams that were able to have their infectious disease emergency response (IDER) plan approved in the early part.
This is a step that every NFL team will need to go through before they can begin training camp.