ALLEN PARK – Justin Coleman and Isaac Nauta were added to the NFL’s COVID-19 roster on Thursday. This means that the Detroit Lions have seven players on the roster after two days of testing at the team’s practice facility.
Coleman was placed on the list after testing positive on Wednesday. The NFL network reports Coleman is asymptomatic and even tested negative early on Tuesday at the team’s facility. Nauta’s name appeared on the league’s official transaction cable.
This means that the Detroit Lions will open training camp without a handful of vital pieces, as Coleman joins catcher Kenny Golladay and TJ Hockenson on the COVID list. The Detroit Free Press adds that Coleman “feels great” right now.
Cornerback Amani Oruwariye, safety rookie Jalen Elliott and rookie player Arryn Siposs were listed on Wednesday. Defensive tackle John Atkins also decided to unsubscribe from the 2020 season.
Related: Kenny Golladay, TJ Hockenson among the 5 Lions players placed on the COVID-19 list The | Detroit Lions have their first choice of coronavirus: defensive tackle John Atkins
Players on the COVID list have tested positive or have been in close contact with someone known to have the virus. Asymptomatic players must wait 10 days to return to the team, or test negative twice in 24 hours, not less than five days after the positive test. Symptomatic players must wait at least 10 days from the first time they experienced symptoms, and at least three days from the last time they experienced symptoms before returning to their team. It’s also worth noting that all returns must be approved by a doctor, whether a player has shown symptoms or not.
Coleman is heading to his second season in Detroit after the Lions general manager Bob Quinn made him the highest-paid nickel (four-year, $ 36 million contract) in the league. The corner made an early splash but faded with the rest of the team in the home stretch. He made 54 tackles, forced three fumbles and intercepted a pass in 16 games.
The defense allowed the most yards in the league, but the high school often stayed on an island for too long thanks to a non-threatening passing run. This happened before the team traded ex-All-Pro corner Darius Slay with the Eagles, leaving Coleman as the best corner back. However, the Lions signed Desmond Trufant away from the Falcons and then took Jeff Okudah with the third overall pick in April to resupply the shelves.
Coleman finished as the 84th-grade corner in terms of coverage by Pro Football Focus last year (for those with 20% of his team’s snapshots). He was credited with allowing 70 sacks on 110 goals for 856 yards and eight touchdowns.
While the Okudah-Trufant-Coleman trio is arguably more rosy on paper than the Slay-Coleman-Rashaan Melvin trio, the limited offseason isn’t ideal, and this certainly doesn’t help. Coleman last spoke to the media in June. She shared a powerful memory of Ahmaud Arbery and marveled at Okudah’s attention to detail during her Zoom conversation with reporters.
Related: The lions have been praised for their coronavirus plan. Here are 9 things they have done.
Nauta, on the other hand, was a Georgia seventh-round tight end last year. He worked with the practice team at Allen Park for most of the season and even got some work as a fullback down the stretch. He caught two passes for 13 yards with a knockdown as a rookie, and was seen working with Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford and other youngsters on the team earlier in the offseason.
For what was already going to be a weird training camp with no preseason, the Lions will start with two tight ends. With Hockenson and Nauta on the COVID list, that means veteran Jesse James, former Michigan State player Matt Sokol, and undrafted free agent Hunter Bryant are the active tight ends for the start of camp.
Detroit’s first unfilled practice is scheduled for August 12, while the first contact session is scheduled for August 17. The Lions look to open the season against the Chicago Bears on September 13 at Ford Field.
Related: Detroit Lions 53-man roster projected early
