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NFL

What happens to coin tosses? Jersey swaps? 15 obscure NFL coronavirus protocols you need to know

The NFL’s last “normal” moment was the annual scouting combine, held from Feb. 23 to March 2 in Indianapolis.

Amid the routine of that week, league executives focused on finalizing a new collective bargaining agreement with players. Teams locked in on scouting college players and setting plans for the start of free agency. The global spread of COVID-19 had just started to seep into the national consciousness, but few had conceived a future in which the virus could impact a regular season that was six months away.

And yet here we are. The NFL is set to open Thursday night amid a set of coronavirus pandemic protocols that have transformed its operations at every level. You know about the major changes: a virtual offseason program, no preseason games and a softened training camp that centered on preventing soft-tissue injuries after months of football inactivity.

What follows are 15 of the smaller changes, from the slightly weird to the completely wacky, that you might never have imagined would be necessary to safely play football. All of these protocols are subject to change but will be in effect at least for Week 1.

Electronic whistles are in

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The NFL and its teams have ordered hundreds of

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AP Photo/Ted S. Warren

Skip the buffet

Like the rest of the country, NFL players and coaches can’t graze the buffet any longer — including at their team facilities. And if they’re going to eat a postgame meal, it must be individually packaged with disposable utensils. Third-party meal delivery is permitted, as long as its delivery is contactless.

Take the stairs

Players will be required to stay in the team hotel the night before games, whether they are the home or visiting team. Team travel coordinators have been instructed to request room blocks on lower floors so that everyone — players, coaches and staffers — can avoid elevators whenever possible.

Cleanliness is next to …

In team facilities, the NFL is requiring all “high-touch” surfaces to be cleaned at least three times a day with solution that qualifies as hospital-grade EPA List N disinfectant. “High touch” is defined as any surface that is in an area accessible to multiple members of the party. That includes tables, desks, countertops, door and drawer handles, cabinet handles, light switches, phones, television remote controls, handrails, toilets, sink handles, touch screens and elevator buttons.

Quarterback quarantine

One thing the NFL hasn’t changed this summer: Its teams’ fanatical desire to cloak personnel strategy. So while we don’t have many details, we do know that some coaches have considered isolating one quarterback from the rest of the team as a hedge against potential breakouts.

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Teams are prohibited from having in-person player meetings with more than 15 people present, and everyone must be distanced at least 6 feet away from each other. Anything larger must take place virtually. No more than 15 people are allowed inside a weight room unless a special exception is approved. And trips to the athletic trainers must be made by individual appointments to keep numbers down.

Two charter planes encouraged

In most years, NFL teams charter one large plane for road games. In 2020, the NFL is encouraging them to charter two in order to maintain social distance requirements. At a minimum, every member of the traveling party must have at least one seat between them. To assist, the league is allowing only 70 non-players to join each traveling party. That count includes coaches, medical officials and all other essential staff.

Private planes on standby

When on the road, teams must hold at least three empty hotel rooms near the game site to be used for any member of the traveling party who reports COVID-19 symptoms or tests positive and needs to be isolated. The NFL has also retained a private air-charter service to transport those people home without coming into contact with the rest of the team.

NFL

Clowney reunites with Vrabel, agrees with Titans

Jadeveon Clowney agreed to a one-year contract with the Tennessee Titans on Sunday.

Terms were not disclosed, but a source told ESPN’s Adam Schefter that the deal is worth up to $15 million.

The New Orleans Saints, the other main suitor, made a very strong push for the defensive end, but their offer was lower by roughly $2 million, sources told ESPN’s Dianna Russini.

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Clowney is reuniting with Titans coach Mike Vrabel, who was his position coach and defensive coordinator when the two were with the Houston Texans.

The seventh-year veteran had his best season in 2017 when he played in Vrabel’s scheme for the Texans. Clowney posted career highs in sacks (9.5), tackles for loss (21) and QB hits (21) that season.

Clowney made an impact following his trade before the 2019 season from the Texans to the Seattle Seahawks in exchange for Jacob Martin, Barkevious Mingo and a 2020 third-round pick.

Jadeveon Clowney 5.8%
Grady Jarrett 5.7%
Luke Kuechly 5.5%
Calais Campbell 5.3%
— NFL Next Gen Stats

While he had only three sacks in 13 regular-season games, Clowney ranked fifth in ESPN’s pass-rush win rate (24.8%), scored two defensive touchdowns and was consistently Seattle’s most disruptive defensive lineman. PRWR measures how frequently a defender beats his blocker in 2.5 seconds or less.

Clowney, 27, suffered a core muscle injury in Week 10 last season and elected to postpone surgery until the offseason. That left him playing in pain for most of the second half of the season. The injury sidelined him for two games; he missed a third game with the flu.

Clowney was named to three consecutive Pro Bowls from 2016 to 2018 with the Texans. Overall, he has 236 tackles, 32 sacks, 9 forced fumbles, 7 recoveries, 51 tackles for loss, an interception and 4 defensive touchdowns since being selected with the first overall pick in the 2014 draft.

ESPN’s Turron Davenport and Brady Henderson contributed to this report.

NFL

Source: Seahawks waive LB Shaquem Griffin

1:19 PM ET

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Shaquem Griffin proved to be more than just a feel-good story on draft day as he made the Seahawks’ roster out of training camp in 2018 and 2019 and was among their leading special-teams contributors in both seasons. Griffin also showed flashes late last season when the Seahawks started using him as an edge rusher in sub packages, allowing him to reprise a role he excelled at during his college career at Central Florida.

One of Griffin’s best plays in that role was a pressure of Jared Goff that led to a Quandre Diggs pick-six in a December loss to the Los Angeles Rams. He also had a sack in Seattle’s loss to the Green Bay Packers in last season’s divisional round. Griffin was credited with 16 tackles and three QB hits in 32 regular-season games over the last two years, which included a start in his NFL debut.

Griffin’s spot on the Seahawks’ roster in 2020 was uncertain given their strong depth at linebacker behind starters Bobby Wagner, K.J. Wright and Bruce Irvin. That includes this year’s first-round pick, Jordyn Brooks, who is projected to play behind Wright on the weak side. Seattle also has Cody Barton and Ben Burr-Kirven, third- and fifth-round picks last year, respectively.

Griffin is a candidate for Seattle’s practice squad.

Shaquill Griffin, who made the Pro Bowl as an alternate last year, is entering the final season of his rookie contract.

NFL

Fantasy football mock draft: 10-team, non-PPR

After the most bizarre offseason in NFL history, the fantasy football season is set to kick off next week, which means we’re heading into the biggest fantasy football draft weekend of the year. With that in mind, our experts gathered for one final mock draft in a 10-team, non-PPR format.

We’ve been chipping away at mock drafts all offseason, hitting on all of the most popular formats, be it PPR, non-PPR, 10-team, 12-team or two-QB leagues, so we have a little something for everyone. You can check out the results of this 10-team, non-PPR mock draft below and compare it to the other formats here:

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12-team, PPR (Aug. 27) | 10-team, 2-QB PPR | 10-team, PPR (Aug. 14) | 12-team, non-PPR (Aug. 7) | 10-team, non-PPR (July 30) | 12-team, PPR (July 23) | 10-team, PPR (June 22) | 12-team, PPR (May 8)

And though we’ve said this all summer, it can’t hurt to say it one more time: You should do a couple of mock drafts yourself. They are simple, quick and pressure-free — but most importantly, they give you a chance to get used to the draft software, figure out when players you like are being taken, and make mistakes when they don’t count for real.

The participants, in order of draft position, included: Daniel Dopp, Cameron Wolfe, Kyle Soppe, Eric Karabell, Mike Clay, Matt Bowen, Tristan H. Cockcroft, Mike Triplett, Field Yates and Tom Carpenter.

Round 1

1. Christian McCaffrey Car (RB1) — Dopp
2. Saquon Barkley NYG (RB2) — Wolfe
3. Ezekiel Elliott Dal (RB3) — Soppe
4. Dalvin Cook Min (RB4) — Karabell
5. Alvin Kamara NO (RB5) — Clay
6. Derrick Henry Ten (RB6) — Bowen
7. Josh Jacobs LV (RB7) — Cockcroft
8. Clyde Edwards-Helaire KC (RB8) — Triplett
9. Nick Chubb Cle (RB9) — Yates
10. Miles Sanders Phi (RB10) — Carpenter


Round 2

11. Michael Thomas NO (WR1) — Carpenter
12. Aaron Jones GB (RB11) — Yates
13. Joe Mixon Cin (RB12) — Triplett
14. Kenyan Drake Ari (RB13) — Cockcroft
15. Davante Adams GB (WR2) — Bowen
16. Austin Ekeler LAC (RB14) — Clay
17. DeAndre Hopkins Ari (WR3) — Karabell
18. Julio Jones Atl (WR4) — Soppe
19. Tyreek Hill KC (WR5) — Wolfe
20. Chris Carson Sea (RB15) — Dopp


Round 3

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“If you think about it, I've never held a job in my life. I went from being an NFL player to a coach to a broadcaster. I haven't worked a day in my life.”
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