SEATTLE — The Seahawks have placed wide receiver Tyler Lockett and running back Alex Collins on the reserve/COVID-19 list, the team announced Thursday.
Both players are vaccinated, a source told ESPN, but they could be in jeopardy of missing Sunday’s game against the Los Angeles Rams. Asymptomatic players currently can be cleared to return with two negative tests taken at least 24 hours apart, but according to Seahawks coach Pete Carroll, the NFL no longer allows vaccinated players to be cleared with a second test on game day.
Under those rules, Lockett and Collins would need a second negative test by Saturday to have a chance at playing Sunday. However, commissioner Roger Goodell insinuated Wednesday that the NFL could make changes to its COVID-19 protocols that would make it easier for vaccinated, asymptomatic players to return more quickly following a positive test.
The NFL has been hit with a major spike in COVID-19 cases around the league. The Rams have 16 players on the reserve/COVID-19 list, including cornerback Jalen Ramsey and receiver Odell Beckham Jr.
Carroll said Wednesday that all Seahawks players had tested negative earlier in the day, as was the case Monday. The team tests its players twice per week, once more than the NFL requires.
“I was thrilled about that, with all that’s going on around the league,” Carroll said Wednesday. He added that they have been “doing everything we can think of” in light of the surge in COVID-19 cases, including extra mask vigilance.
“Our guys continue to manage their role,” he said. “They’re managing it with the conscious that helps them make the right decisions.”
Lockett leads the Seahawks with 62 catches and 1,023 receiving yards. On Sunday, he joined Steve Largent as the only players in franchise history to top 1,000 receiving yards in three straight seasons.
Collins leads the team with 108 carries and 411 rushing yards. He had been the Seahawks’ primary running back since Chris Carson suffered a season-ending neck injury in October but last week gave way to Rashaad Penny, who had the best game of his career with 137 rushing yards and two touchdowns against the Houston Texans. Carroll said Penny deserved the chance to remain in that role.
Lockett told reporters during the offseason that he is vaccinated. He said in the summer of 2020 that he “had a lot of hesitation” about playing last season because of concerns about COVID-19. Those concerns, he said, were related to his preexisting heart abnormality and the fact that much of his family has asthma.
The Seahawks, according to a source, have only two unvaccinated players.
Information from ESPN’s Dan Graziano and Lindsey Thiry was used in this report.