Seemingly inevitable: Seahawks put Tyler Lockett, Alex Collins on COVID-19 list
The NFL’s latest COVID surge has reached the league’s last team successful at holding it off.
The Seahawks put top wide receiver Tyler Lockett and running back Alex Collins, their leading rusher this season, on the reserve/COVID-19 list Thursday. Both players are believed to be vaccinated; Seattle began the season with all but two of its players vaccinated.
Lockett and Collins become the second and third Seahawks onto the COVID-19 list this season. Tight end Gerald Everett missed two games in October.
He had been the only positive case of the coronavirus for the Seahawks in the two years of the pandemic.
Quarterback Russell Wilson said Thursday he’d spoken that day to Lockett by telephone, and that his wide receiver was feeling good with no ill effects from the coronavirus.
“Yeah, I’ve spoken to Tyler. Tyler and I have talked. We called each other earlier today,” Wilson said. “Obviously, I’ve been busy here with meetings and everything else, but he’s feeling pretty good.
“I’m hoping (Lockett can play Sunday). We’ll see.”
Per new NFL COVID protocols announced Thursday, vaccinated players who test positive can take multiple, rapid-results tests the day after the positive result and if the two subsequent tests are both negative that player can return to full participation. That return must happen by 1 p.m. Saturday to play on Sunday.
League spokesman Brian McCarthy confirmed via The Associated Press Lockett and Collins fall under the new guidelines to return to play.
So Lockett and Collins have at least a chance to play Sunday when the Seahawks (5-8) try to keep their slim playoff hopes alive at the Los Angeles Rams (9-4) in Inglewood, California.
That’s only if everything goes perfectly between now and then.
Little is going perfectly in sports with the coronavirus this week.
The Rams entered Thursday with 16 players on the COVID-19 list.
The league had 97 players across 28 teams go on the COVID list from Monday through Wednesday.
“We are in adjust mode,” Everett said.
“I worry about those guys, Tyler and the receivers, everybody else who’s on the staff that came back with the results. It’s definitely something tough to deal with on the body and on the mental. We’re going to stay closely connected to those guys.”
On Sunday in Houston Lockett had another exquisite day: 143 yards with a game-breaking touchdown pass of 55 yards from Wilson in Seattle’s win over the Texans. He joined Hall of Famer Steve Largent as the only Seahawks to have three consecutive seasons with at least 1,000 yards receiving.
Collins has been playing since October with abdomen and groin injuries since replacing injured Chris Carson as Seattle’s lead running back. Carson recently had neck surgery.
Collins had 101 yards Oct. 17 at Pittsburgh, Seattle’s first 100-yard rushing day since Carson in 2019. But he sat out the Seahawks’ win over San Francisco Dec. 5 then had just 16 yards on seven carries while Rashaad Penny started instead last weekend at Houston.
Penny had a career day against the Texans: 16 carries for 137 yards and two touchdowns.
Carroll said this week that has earned the often-injured first-round draft choice from 2018 the start Sunday against the Rams.
This story was originally published December 16, 2021 at 12:13 PM.
