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Falcons cornerback A.J. Terrell became the first NFL player ruled out for a game because of a positive test for the coronavirus, raising concern about the Bears’ game Sunday in Atlanta.
The Falcons put Terrell on the reserve/ COVID list Saturday and are doing contact tracing to determine whether they have an outbreak. ESPN reported they didn’t have any more positive tests as of Saturday afternoon.
The team is on alert because Terrell’s test was Friday morning, and he practiced afterward. The result came in Saturday.
Terrell, 22, appears to be asymptomatic. He was the Falcons’ first-round pick in the spring and might have started Sunday.
The Bears flew to Atlanta after meetings Saturday at Halas Hall. Coach Matt Nagy has changed the team’s travel schedule for road games this season to minimize the amount of time spent in hotels.
The Bears haven’t put any players on the reserve/COVID list since clearing tight end Eric Saubert and defensive tackle John Jenkins to return Aug. 3.
‘‘Everything that’s been given to us from management to stay spaced out, to wear your masks, the little things that matter — we can’t get relaxed on those issues,’’ Nagy said heading into the first road trip to Detroit. ‘‘We’re just trying to do everything we can to prevent the risk of having any cases of COVID.’’
The NFL has given no clarity about how it intends to handle potential widespread outbreaks. Major League Baseball postponed or canceled 43 games because of coronavirus spread in clubhouses and occasionally moved a game from afternoon to evening to allow more time for test results to come back.
The NFL could shift a noon kickoff to the evening, delay a game until Monday or Tuesday or hold a week for makeup games in January. That’s all speculation, however, in the absence of a publicized plan.