The Ravens have entered the NFL's intensive protocol and after a positive COVID-19 test, which cornerback Marlon Humphrey tweeted Monday morning came from him.
Head Coach John Harbaugh confirmed that Humphrey is in a 10-day coronavirus window and will be out for Sunday's game against the Indianapolis Colts.
After a positive test, the player immediately self-quarantines and, in coordination with the NFL, the Ravens are in the process of contact tracing and following the guidelines of the intensive protocol.
Harbaugh said players who had close contact with Humphrey are in a five-day window that will require a pair of negative tests. It's still being determined who falls in that category, but Harbaugh is hopeful that they won't have more positive tests.
"Wherever that might lead us, we'll see. We're pretty optimistic about that at this point but you never know. Hey, it's 2020. We'll take it as we find it," Harbaugh said.
"We've done our absolute best to adhere to every protocol and we tried to keep our focus on doing the protocols and our focus on our responsibility, which is to play the game."
Harbaugh said he learned of Humphrey's positive test at about 6 a.m. Monday and does not know how he's feeling.
The team will be working under restricted parameters in preparation for Sunday's Week 9 game in Indianapolis. Harbaugh said the team already had a plan established in case they needed to go into the intensive protocol.
"We plan to have a great week of preparation and we plan to be ready to play the game on Sunday," Harbaugh said.
Barring any new positive tests, the Ravens can resume normal operations on Nov. 9, one week from today. Here are some of the new guidelines this week, which were determined in coordination with the NFL's Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Allen Sills.
- Under the league's intensive protocol, all meetings must be done virtually unless held outdoors or in a bubble with masks being worn by all while maintaining physical distancing and wearing Kinexon tracking devices.
- Practice or walkthrough is permitted on a practice field and/or indoor bubble. All players and coaches must wear masks or Oakley Faceshield. Players may remove their helmet/mask for breaks but should be more than six feet apart when unprotected.
- Only 10 players and five staff members are allowed in the weight room at any time and masks must be worn at all times by everyone and appropriate distance kept. Clubs may have multiple weight rooms if there are physical barriers between each room.
- Players are permitted to enter facility for medical treatment, including physical therapy and rehabilitation. Players must wear a surgical grade mask at all times and a face shield when possible and staff must wear face shield and surgical grade mask and gloves at all times.
It's a good sign that the Steelers have not had any positive tests following Sunday's game, in which Humphrey played 100 percent of the defensive snaps.
Humphrey's absence from Sunday's game in Indianapolis leaves the Ravens shorthanded at cornerback, a position where their depth has already been tested following injuries to Iman Marshall (knee), Tavon Young (knee), and Anthony Averett (shoulder).
Former undrafted cornerback Terrell Bonds, who was called up from the practice squad for Sunday's game, played 17 defensive snaps against the Steelers and undrafted rookie Khalil Dorsey played on special teams. Baltimore still has Marcus Peters and Jimmy Smith as starting outside corners.
"We'll just have to deal with [Humphrey being out] just like it's an injury," Harbaugh said. "We're just going to approach it like business as usual in a different kind of way and we'll go to work."
