With their COVID count rising, the Detroit Lions could be facing another disjointed week.
The Lions placed cornerback Corey Ballentine on the practice squad reserve/COVID-19 list Monday, the eighth player they’ve lost to the virus in as many days.
The Lions altered their practice schedule amid a flu outbreak last week, and promoted seven practice squad players — including Ballentine — to their gameday roster after a rash of positive COVID tests.
ROUGH LANDING?: Lions’ final stretch will be ugly, but will show which players are foundation pieces
Center Evan Brown tested positive for COVID last Monday, and the Lions placed five more players on reserve/COVID in a three-day span: Cornerback Bobby Price on Thursday; safety Tracy Walker and running back Jamaal Williams on Friday; and cornerbacks Ifeatu Melifonwu and Mark Gilbert on Saturday.
The Lions also placed linebacker Tavante Beckett on practice squad reserve/COVID last week.
Ballentine played 14 snaps in Sunday’s 38-10 loss to the Denver Broncos. After the game, Lions coach Dan Campbell insisted the organization had “gone above and beyond” in its measures to slow the outbreak.
The Lions held split-squad workouts and meetings last Wednesday, when offensive players reported to Allen Park in the morning and defensive players were at the facility in the afternoon. On Thursday, they sent all offensive and defensive linemen but backup center Evan McCollum home before holding a 7-on-7 practice for offensive skill players, linebackers and defensive backs.
CAMPBELL SPEAKS: Dan Campbell’s Detroit Lions news conference recap: Updating injuries
And Monday, the Lions held virtual meetings for players, though Campbell said the organization was “continuing normal procedures” otherwise.
“We’re just trying to be as smart as we can, as diligent as we can be about this whole thing,” Campbell said. “Even if it means maybe we save one player from exposure to somebody else, we’re doing it.”
The Lions (1-11-1) played one of their worst games of the season against the Broncos, committing two second-half turnovers and allowing 184 yards rushing.
Campbell hinted that the Lions could face similar roster challenges for this week’s game against the Arizona Cardinals.
NFL players who test positive for COVID must miss a minimum of 10 days. Vaccinated players can return sooner if they produce two negative tests 24 hours apart.
THE ROAD TO SUCCESS: How Detroit Lions RB Craig Reynolds’ long run to the NFL was fueled by belief
“We’re trying to find a way to win a game and we want to compete and have a chance to win it at the end,” Campbell said Monday. “Nothing’s changed as far as that’s concerned, and I don’t care who we have. We’ll go to war with the guys that we’ve got and it may be the same guys that you just saw yesterday. And we’ll have them as prepared as we can get them and go in and see what we can do.”
Briefly
Campbell said he is “hopeful” running back D’Andre Swift (shoulder) and tight end T.J. Hockenson (hand) can return to the lineup this week after missing the Broncos game with injuries. “I know both of those player felt better today, but we’ll kind of have to take it day by day,” he said. … Linebacker Alex Anzalone also is day-to-day with an ankle injury. … The Lions were awarded safety Brady Breeze off waivers from the Tennessee Titans on Monday. A sixth-round pick out of Oregon in April, Breeze appeared in five games, playing exclusively on special teams, for the Titans.
Contact Dave Birkett at dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @davebirkett.