CHARLOTTE — Two days before the Carolina Panthers are scheduled to take on the New Orleans Saints, kicker Joey Slye and offensive lineman Trent Scott have been activated from the reserve/COVID-19 list.
Slye and Scott were placed on the list earlier this week but have cleared testing protocols to rejoin the team, the Panthers announced Friday.
Slye’s return means the Panthers will not have to break in a new kicker on short notice for Sunday’s game in New Orleans.
While players may be placed on the list for a positive test or being in close contact with an individual who has tested positive, teams may not disclose which reason a player has been added.
Friday morning the Panthers were proceeding with their regular walk-through schedule, and Sunday’s game in New Orleans in on track to be played.
Cornerback Rasul Douglas, who missed practice on Thursday, has been placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list.
He is the third player currently on the Panthers' reserve/COVID-19 list, joining reserve offensive linemen Tyler Larsen and Michael Schofield.
Douglas has started the past five games and has recorded six passes defensed and 27 total tackles.
Last week, the Panthers entered the NFL’s intensive protocol after Atlanta Falcons defensive tackle Marlon Davidson was placed on the league’s COVID-19 reserve list. The Falcons placed Davidson on the list two days after losing to the Panthers (3-2) in Atlanta on Oct. 11. A source told ESPN’s Vaughn McClure that Davidson tested positive for the coronavirus.
The team worked virtually Monday and Tuesday out of an abundance of caution.
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What is intensive protocol?
The intensive protocol, according to a memo sent out by the NFL on Oct. 1, requires teams potentially exposed to the coronavirus to implement the following precautions:
- In addition to daily testing, all players Tier 1 and 2 must receive daily rapid point of care tests and test negatively before entering the facility;
- All meetings must occur virtually;
- Whenever possible, activities such as practice will take place either outdoors or in large, open spaces;
- Personal protection equipment such as facemasks or shields must be worn on the practice field by players and staff at all times;
- Gloves also should be worn on the field for all players except quarterbacks (Note: Panthers quarterback Teddy Bridgewater always wears gloves on both hands);
- The weight room will be limited to no more than 10 players at any time regardless of the size of the room;
- The facility will be deep cleaned daily;
- No team or player gatherings or group football activities will be permitted away from the facility.
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