Saturday, Sep 18, 2021. 9:49 PM
CHARLOTTE, NC – The New Orleans Saints will have a total of eight coaches who will be unable to participate in Sunday’s game against the Panthers in North Carolina due to positive COVID-19 tests.
While offensive line coach Brendan Nugent is now cleared to coach, assistant head coach and defensive line coach Ryan Nielsen, and defensive assistant Brian Young, will be unable to attend the game, the game announced. club Saturday.
The Saints said Nielsen and Young’s match day duties will be distributed among the rest of the defensive staff.
Six other assistant coaches had already been excluded: receivers coach Curtis Johnson, tight ends coach Dan Roushar, running backs coach Joel Thomas, offensive analyst Jim Chaney, offensive assistant Declan Doyle and special teams assistant Phil Galiano.
The initial outbreak primarily affecting the coaching staff became evident from test results on Tuesday, two days after New Orleans’ 38-3 victory over the Green Bay Packers, a “home game” of the Saints who was moved to Jacksonville, Florida.
The NFL had moved the game because the league feared it was too early for the New Orleans area to host an event at the 73,000-seat Superdome, after Hurricane Ida hit August 29, that caused damage and widespread power outages in Southeast Louisiana.
The club, which has been practicing in the Dallas area since Ida’s stint, began operating under enhanced NFL protocols for COVID-19 after this week’s outbreak, requiring the mask to be worn. ‘indoor facilities and daily screening tests, among other measures.
The outbreak has not affected the active roster of players. The only player placed on the Saints’ COVID-19 roster this week was wide receiver Michael Thomas, who was already unavailable until Week 7 as he started the season on the injured roster.
