Patriots ‘on track’ to play Broncos, Bill Belichick says, as COVID-19 tests reportedly come back negative
The Patriots remain “on track” to host the Broncos, coach Bill Belichick said Tuesday, though it’s still unclear whether quarterback Cam Newton or cornerback Stephon Gilmore will be ready to go Sunday.
Another round of COVID-19 tests performed Monday produced no new positive results, according to an NFL Media report. The Patriots haven’t had a positive test since Byron Cowart’s result from late Saturday night.
Like every team, the Patriots will be subject to daily testing — now including game days under new protocols — in order for the Denver game to kick off.
If the team continues to produce negative results across the board, players likely will be back on the practice field Wednesday after three days off — a truncated version of a bye week, which was originally scheduled for this week.
As for Newton, who missed the Week 4 game against the Chiefs, and Gilmore, who tested positive a week ago, Belichick wasn’t ready to commit to a timeline for them to return.
“I’m not sure exactly what the schedule is in terms of when those guys will do the things that they need to do,” the Patriots coach said. “Again, some of that has to be scheduled outside of the building and so forth. So, I’ll leave that to the medical department. I don’t know exactly what their schedule is.”
Gilmore posted on Instagram Monday that he is “ready to return to action,” while Newton’s father, Cecil, said his son has not experienced any symptoms since testing positive.
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