Defensive Lineman Removed From COVID List

For the first time all week, the Tennessee Titans did not add any players to their Reserve-COVID 19 list.

Not only that, they removed one.

Defensive lineman Anthony Rush, the first player swept up in this week’s outbreak, was returned to the active roster Friday, a day before the preseason finale against the Chicago Bears. He went on the COVID list Monday, a day after coach Mike Vrabel tested positive for the coronavirus and kicked off a week of uncertainty and adaptation.

Players are put the COVID list either because they tested positive for the coronavirus or because they were determined to have had close contact with someone who has the virus. League rules prohibit teams from revealing the reason behind a player’s inclusion.

Those on the COVID list do not count against the active roster.

Rush’s return gives the Titans 80 players on their active roster, which is the current NFL maximum. Another seven, including quarterback Ryan Tannehill and outside linebacker Harold Landry, remain on the list and must meet league protocols before they can be removed.

NFL rosters must be reduced to the regular-season limit of 53 players by Tuesday afternoon.

A 24-year-old defensive lineman out of Alabama-Birmingham, Rush signed with the Titans a day before the start of training camp. He had spent most of the offseason with the Green Bay Packers, but that team cut him in mid-June.

Thus far in the preseason, Rush (6-foot-4, 361 pounds) was credited with two tackles in limited playing time against the Atlanta Falcons and he played roughly half of the defensive snaps last Saturday at Tampa Bay. He was not credited with any tackles against the Buccaneers.