'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. was one of many NFL players who tested positive for COVID this week. In addition to Beckham Jr., teammates like safety Jordan Fuller and defensive backs Terrell Burgess and JuJu Hughes were placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list.
The Rams were one of seven teams in the league placed in elevated COVID-19 protocols, along with the Cleveland Browns, Atlanta Falcons, Chicago Bears, Detroit Lions, Minnesota Vikings, and the Washington Football Team.
Read: How many Los Angeles Rams players have tested positive for COVID-19?
When it comes to the three-time Pro Bowl wide receiver, his COVID-19 test came back as negative. He shared the news on Twitter:
In total, there were nine players placed on the reserve/COVID-19 earlier in the week. To those nine players were added four others, who were placed on it over the last 72 hours. These players include running back Darrell Henderson, starting right tackle Rob Havenstein, All-Pro cornerback Jalen Ramsey and cornerback Dont'e Deayon.
Henderson leads the team in rushing yards and rushing touchdowns with five. Havenstein has played in 99% of the team’s offensive snaps this year, while Ramsey leads in interceptions with three and passes defended with 11. Deayon has played 83% of the team’s defensive snaps this year, starting one game with 23 combined tackles and a pass defended.
Rams head coach Sean McVay spoke on the team’s outbreak and the impact it is having:
"I am very surprised, because you feel like you're behind it when everybody is vaccinated and you're moving in the right direction. Without a doubt, we have never experienced anything of this magnitude as it relates to COVID. This is definitely something that's been eye-opening."
This season, for the Rams, Beckham Jr. has 15 receptions for 204 yards receiving and three touchdown catches in his four games with the team. The former first-round pick of the New York Giants in the 2014 NFL Draft was released by the Cleveland Browns, after playing only six games for the team this year.
Odell Beckham Jr. COVID status
Now that he is cleared to play, the question on the minds of Rams fans is, when will Beckham Jr. play? Per the NFL’s new protocols, fully vaccinated players need to have two negative tests for COVID within a 24-hour span prior to being removed from the reserve/COVID-19 list. Yet, improved rules make a player's return to their team not as difficult.
The uncertainty is the number of negative tests that the wide receiver has had, and the team still has him on the COVID-19 reserve list. Beckham tested positive on Tuesday and was placed on COVID-19 reserve that day, so he’s been on the list for three days.
Their game versus the Seattle Seahawks, originally scheduled for Sunday, has been moved to this coming Tuesday. This means that the Rams have two additional days to clear the COVID-19 protocols before the game.
