The team is scheduled to return to practice Wednesday, but Coach Bill Belichick would not indicate if Cam Newton or Stephon Gilmore will be available.
The Patriots returned all negative COVID-19 test results Tuesday morning from a round of testing conducted Monday, according to multiple reports, giving the team two straight days with zero positive tests. The latest positive test, from defensive tackle Byron Cowart over the weekend, caused the team’s home game against the Broncos to get postponed to 1 p.m. Sunday after getting pushed twice last week. Players, coaches and essential staff members will continue to be tested daily, including on game days, per revised NFL protocols. Players were set to return to the team facility Wednesday morning to prepare for the Broncos, but Coach Bill Belichick on Tuesday offered no indication on whether Cam Newton or Stephon Gilmore – who both tested positive – will be available to practice or play against the Broncos. If Newton is asymptomatic as reported, he can be activated off the team’s COVID-19 list once he receives permission from a team physician. And Gilmore claimed Monday he’s “ready to be back in action.” Belichick says he doesn’t know. “Yeah, I’m not exactly sure what the schedule is in terms of when those guys (Newton and Gilmore) will do the things they need to do,” Belichick told reporters Tuesday. “Again, some of that’s has to be scheduled outside of the building and so forth.
