Chiefs star Hill added to virus list
Another 21 NFL players were placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list Tuesday, including Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Tyreek Hill, cornerback Rashad Fenton and tight end Blake Bell.
They were among nine players, including two on the practice squad, who joined tight end Travis Kelce and kicker Harrison Butker on Kansas City’s growing virus list.
The Chiefs also have Charvarius Ward on the list, which means two of their top three cornerbacks are in the league’s virus protocol, along with defensive tackle Chris Jones, linebacker Willie Gay Jr. and wide receiver Josh Gordon.
Linebacker Nick Bolton, offensive lineman Kyle Long, right tackle Lucas Niang and safety Armani Watts also were added to list Tuesday.
Another receiver on an AFC contender tested positive as well when the Buffalo Bills placed wideout — and the team’s most vocal vaccine critic — Cole Beasley on the reserve/ COVID-19 list, leaving his status uncertain for a key showdown with first place in the AFC East on the line at New England on Sunday.
Buffalo could now be minus two starting receivers after Emmanuel Sanders missed this past weekend’s win over Carolina because of a knee injury.
Beasley, who was fined by the NFL last summer for failing to wear a mask inside the team’s facility, threatened to retire in June over how the league’s COVID-19 protocols specifically targeted unvaccinated players.
In July, Beasley opened training camp by saying he’s not anti- or pro-vaccination, but pro choice, in criticizing the NFL for failing to provide transparent information about making a choice to get vaccinated.
For the Chiefs, Jones, Gay and Gordon tested positive last week and missed Thursday night’s win over the Chargers. There’s a good chance the trio could return two negative tests and be available for this week’s game against the Steelers.
Together, Hill and Kelce have half of the Chiefs’ receptions and more than half of their yards receiving this season.
Texans’ D-line takes another hit
The Texans on added defensive tackle Jaleel Johnson to the COVID-19 reserve list.
Johnson, a reserve lineman who has 21 tackles in 11 games, is the franchise’s 15th player sidelined with a positive test. The Texans now have six defensive linemen on the virus list.
The team signed free agents defensive tackle Xavier Williams and defensive end Ron’Dell Carter to bolster depth on the unit.
Williams, a seven-year veteran, had a connection to first-year general manager Nick Caserio by playing in a game for the Patriots last year.
Carter, 24, played in three games for the Cowboys in 2020. The 6-3, 269-pound edge rusher finished ninth all-time at James Madison with 23 career sacks.