The Cowboys sent defensive coordinator Dan Quinn and defensive lineman Carlos Watkins home 90 minutes before Saturday night’s kickoff against Houston. The team announced they were following the league’s COVID-19 protocols.
The Cowboys added three more players to the list Monday.
Receiver CeeDee Lamb, safety Malik Hooker and safety Israel Mukuamu now are on the COVID-19 reserve list. It is unclear whether the three tested positive or were high-risk close contacts.
The Cowboys announced Saturday the vaccination rate for their player roster is 93 percent, while 100 percent of the team’s football staff is fully vaccinated.
High-risk close contacts must isolate five days if unvaccinated. Fully vaccinated players and coaches do not need to isolate after exposure.
Vaccinated individuals who test positive can return once they have two consecutive negative tests 24 hours apart. Unvaccinated players who test positive for COVID-19 must isolate for at least 10 days.
The Cowboys held virtual meetings out of an abundance of caution.
“I think just like most things we do we’re just being cautious and want to make sure we contain this outbreak and just be smart with that,” Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy said Monday. “We have enough experience with the virtual format.
“We all have clear understanding of what the state is of what we’re in. We’re by no means clear of what went on last year. We’re taking the same approach.”
With four players on the COVID-19 reserve list, the Cowboys need to make only one roster move to get to 80 players by Tuesday’s deadline.
UPDATE 4:58 PM ET: Calvin Watkins of the Dallas Morning News reports Quinn and Watkins, who are fully vaccinated, tested positive. Lamb and Hooker also are fully vaccinated, and Mukuamu received both shots but is in the wait period for full vaccination, per Watkins.