When the Ravens had to pull wide receiver Dez Bryant from the lineup shortly before their Week 13 game over the Cowboys due to a positive COVID-19 test, they were not allowed to activate another player to take his place.
Bryant’s deactivation came after the deadline of 90 minutes before kickoff to set the game day roster, but any team in a similar situation over the remainder of this season will be able to fill out their roster.
Tom Pelissero of NFL Media shared a Wednesday memo from the league to all 32 teams announcing a change to game day procedures. Teams can activate someone to replace a player who is found to have tested positive for COVID-19 or been a high-risk close contact to someone who has tested positive after inactives are announced.
That move can take place up to 30 minutes before kickoff and must involve a player declared inactive or eligible to be called up from the practice squad as a COVID replacement.
It’s a change that PFT advocated for in the wake of the Bryant situation as it fits with the overall roster flexibility that the league has created as a way to play this season amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The same set of circumstances may not come up again this season, but the league’s plan for dealing with it is a sensible one.