The Los Angeles Rams placed safety Nick Scott and offensive lineman Bobby Evans on the reserve/COVID-19 list while three other players missed a second consecutive practice for precautionary reasons Friday.
When asked if either Scott or Evans had tested positive for the coronavirus, coach Sean McVay responded, “I can’t tell you if one was positive or if they were both high-contact traces. Out of respect for just that these things, I can’t go into the specifics. I think sometimes those things express themselves as they either come off or stay on that list.”
A player does not have to test positive to be placed on the COVID-19 reserve list.
Scott and Evans will not play in Sunday’s game against the winless New York Jets at SoFi Stadium, McVay said. Scott has played as a reserve in all 13 games this season. Evans has played as a reserve in five games, but played just one snap in the past nine games.
The two players, placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list and told to remain home, have lockers in a similar area in the locker room at the Rams’ training facility at California Lutheran University in Thousand Oaks, McVay said.
Linebacker Justin Hollins, outside linebacker Ogbonnia Okoronkwo and center Brian Allen are expected to rejoin the team Saturday evening at its hotel. They will play Sunday “as long as they remain asymptomatic and continue to test negative,” McVay said.
Hollins has played as a reserve in all 13 games this season. Okoronkwo has played in seven games as a reserve, including each of the last two. Allen has not played this season.
The Rams conducted their meetings on a virtual basis and limited the players’ time in the locker room Friday in an attempt to reduce the possibility of spreading the coronavirus, McVay said.
“We have taken all precautionary measures, because we could have those guys come in the building today if we wanted to,” McVay said.