After Raiders defensive end Clelin Ferrell and cornerback Lamarcus Joyner tested positive for COVID-19 on Wednesday, more than half of the team's starting defense is currently on their reserve/COVID-19 list, according to NFL Networ's Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero.
Along with Ferrell and Joyner, defensive backs Johnathan Abram and Isaiah Johnson, defensive end Arden Key, and defensive tackles Maliek Collins, Johnathan Hankins and Kendal Vickers are also on the Raiders' COVID-19 list. While they will not be allowed to participate in this week's practices, each player will be eligible to face the Chiefs on Sunday if they test negative for the virus throughout the week. The Raiders, 6-3 and in second place in the AFC West, defeated the defending champion Chiefs in Kansas City back in Week 5, 40-32.
Despite the number of Raiders currently on the team's COVID-19 list, the game is still scheduled to take place on Sunday night, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.
Earlier this month, the Raiders were fined $500,000 and Jon Gruden an additional $150,000 for COVID-19 violations related to offensive tackle Trent Brown's positive test back in late October. The Raiders were also docked a 2021 six-round pick. Brown was hospitalized after suffering a mishap with an IV prior to the Raiders' Week 8 victory over the Browns. Brown, who was taken to a hospital before the start of the game, had air enter his bloodstream and it required immediate medical attention, according to NFL Network's Rappoport and Pelissero.
The escalated fines and the loss of a draft pick are the results of the Raiders being a repeat offender of the NFL's COVID-19 policy. Back in Week 2, Gruden was fined $100,000 by the league for failing to appropriately wear a face covering during the team's victory over the Saints. The Raiders were fined an additional $250,000.
Las Vegas has lost more than $1.2 million for NFL COVID-related fines. The Raiders have been fined $350,000 for a mask violation, $165,000 for mask-less players at a fundraiser, $50,000 for an unauthorized locker room visitor, and $650,000 for Brown's situation.
