The Dallas Cowboys have been hit hard by COVID-19 over the last few weeks and it doesn’t look like things are slowing down. On Tuesday, rookie cornerback Nahshon Wright was the latest to test positive, making him the eighth player or coach to be sidelined due to the virus. Mike McCarthy and five other coaches will not be making the trip to New Orleans for Dallas’ Week 13 matchup against the Saints, while Nahshon and right tackle Terence Steele have also been placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list.
As those issues continue to develop, the status of star receiver Amari Cooper still appears to be in question. Cooper, who is unvaccinated, has missed the previous two weeks after testing positive for COVID-19. The receiver has returned to the Cowboys facility, but McCarthy noted that he is “still not feeling the best.”
“My gut would be if he doesn’t practice tomorrow, I don’t see him going to the game,” McCarthy said, via Michael Gehlken of the Dallas Morning News.
While Cooper’s 10-day isolation window has passed, he is still not yet cleared to play, per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero. He doesn’t need to be completely asymptomatic before returning to play, but the NFL-NFLPA protocols do say that the symptoms need to be improving following isolation. Cooper’s return would also need to be approved by the club physician after consulting with ICS and the NFL Chief Medical Officer.
