SEATTLE SEAHAWKS
Seahawks place WR Tyler Lockett, RB Alex Collins on COVID list
Dec 16, 2021, 11:10 AM | Updated: 1:04 pm
Tyler Lockett #16 of the Seattle Seahawks makes a catch for a touchdown against the Tennessee Titans. (Steph Chambers/Getty Images)
(Steph Chambers/Getty Images)
The NFL’s recent surge in positive COVID-19 tests has finally impacted the Seahawks.
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The team announced Thursday that star wide receiver Tyler Lockett as well as running back Alex Collins have been placed on the reserve/COVID list, meaning there’s a chance one or both players could miss this Sunday’s game against the Los Angeles Rams.
Per ESPN’s Brady Henderson, sources told him that both players tested positive on Thursday.
The NFL on Thursday also amended its current COVID policy.
Under the older rules, both players, who are vaccinated, would be able to return to action if they tested negative twice more than 24 hours apart as long as they were asymptomatic.
Per Mark Maske of the Washington Post, under the new rules, players who are asymptomatic and vaccinated can return to action with as few as one negative test and a negative rapid-result test. That would allow players who have tested positive to potentially return sooner.
Under the new protocols approved by the NFL and NFLPA, a vaccinated player who is asymptomatic can return to team activities with as few as one negative test plus a negative rapid-result test. So return can come as soon as one day.
— MarkMaske (@MarkMaske) December 16, 2021
Lockett and Collins are just the second and third Seahawks players who have landed on the COVID-19 list this season. Tight end Gerald Everett missed two games earlier this year after testing positive. The Seahawks did place a few players on the reserve/COVID list a year ago, but that was due to close contacts testing positive and not anybody on the team testing positive.
Lockett has been the Seahawks’ go-to receiver this year, leading the team in catches (62) and receiving yards (1,023) while ranking second behind DK Metcalf in touchdown receptions (five). Lockett had a big day in Seattle’s most recent win, catching five passes for 142 yards and a touchdown.
Collins, who was drafted by the Seahawks in 2016, returned to Seattle last year as a member of the practice squad before re-signing this offseason. He’s had a pretty decent role on offense this year as starting running back Chris Carson suffered a season-ending neck injury and only played in four games. Collins leads the Seahawks in rushing attempts (104), rushing yards (411) and he also has two rushing touchdowns.
The Seahawks play the Los Angeles Rams this Sunday and the Rams are in the midst of a major COVID outbreak as more than a dozen players have landed on the COVID list this week.
