Cowboys put Dalton on COVID list
The Dallas Cowboys have placed quarterback Andy Dalton on the reserve/COVID-19 list on Tuesday, keeping him out a second straight game after he was sidelined by a concussion.
Dalton will be the first Dallas player to go on the COVID-19 list since before the season.
The loss of Dalton, a Katy product, likely means a second consecutive start for rookie Ben DiNucci against undefeated Pittsburgh on Sunday.
The seventh-round pick replaced Dalton for last weekend’s 23-9 loss to Philadelphia. The Cowboys (2-6) have had three starting quarterbacks this season after star Dak Prescott broke his ankle in Week 5, ending his season.
Dalton, 33, was the starter in Cincinnati for nine years before the Bengals drafted Joe Burrow first overall in this year’s draft and released the former TCU standout. Dalton signed a one-year contract to be Prescott’s backup.
Broncos’ Elway, Ellis test positive
The novel coronavirus has reached the highest levels of the Denver Broncos organization with general manager John Elway and team president Joe Ellis testing positive for COVID-19 on Tuesday.
Denver said in a statement that both Elway and Ellis have minor symptoms but are “doing well” and will continue to work from home and in self-isolation and participate in virtual meetings while their health is monitored.
The team said no players or coaches came into close contact with either Elway or Ellis recently.
The Broncos have had three assistant coaches go under the league’s COVID-19 protocols — Curtis Modkins, Mike Munchak and Ed Donatell — in addition to right guard Graham Glasgow.
Titans release Beasley, Joseph
The Tennessee Titans have lost patience with Vic Beasley Jr. and will release the outside linebacker Wednesday.
The Titans announced the decision Tuesday in a one-sentence statement not even an hour after waiving long snapper Beau Brinkley and veteran cornerback Johnathan Joseph.
Tennessee signed the eighth overall pick of the 2015 draft in March after the Atlanta Falcons let Beasley leave as a free agent. The Titans thought they could help Beasley reclaim the form that helped him lead the NFL with 15½ sacks in 2016 with a one-year deal worth $9.5 million.
Joseph was with the Texans between 2010 and 2019 and with Cincinnati for the first five years of his NFL career.
Packers could be down 3 RBs
The Green Bay Packers could be missing their top three running backs when they visit the San Francisco 49ers on Thursday night.
Green Bay has placed running backs A. J. Dillon and Jamaal Williams plus linebacker Kamal Martin on the COVID-19 reserve list over the past two days. That makes all three players unavailable for Thursday’s game according to NFL protocols.
The Packers’ leading rusher is Aaron Jones, whose status remains uncertain for this week after he missed Green Bay’s past two games with a calf injury.
Odds and ends
Wide receiver Antonio Brown has been activated from the reserve/suspended list and is set to practice with the Buccaneers for the first time Wednesday. … The Bears could be missing four starters on their offensive line when they visit the Titans this week, after placing right tackle Bobby Massie on injured reserve and right guard Germain Ifedi on the reserve/COVID-19 list. … The Dolphins traded receiver Isaiah Ford to the Patriots for a sixth-round pick in 2022. … The Ravens put seven players on the reserve/COVID-19 list, including starting linebackers Matthew Judon, Patrick Queen and L. J. Fort.