As of Thursday morning, 11 members of Tennessee Titans personnel have tested positive for COVID-19, causing the NFL to postpone the upcoming matchup with the Pittsburgh Steelers until later in the season.
The health and safety of everybody involved — and the containment of the outbreak — is undoubtedly of paramount concern for the Titans in the coming days. Having said that, one could argue that the developments could come with a slight silver lining for the Tennessee passing game, specifically for injured second-year receiver A.J. Brown.
“From a pure football perspective, moving weeks may help the Titans. Star WR A.J. Brown (bone bruise) had a chance to play this week, but will play in Week 5 and moving forward. Barring something new, he’ll be available vs. the Steelers whenever they play,” NFL Network's Tom Pelissero tweeted.
Brown hasn't played since injuring his knee in Week 1 against the Denver Broncos, in which he had five catches for 39 yards. The Ole Miss alum recorded 1,051 yards and eight TDs as a rookie in 2019,
On Sunday, ESPN's Adam Schefter reported that the Titans receiver had not been responding well to treatment for his bruise, likely delaying his return to the field.
Titans’ WR A.J. Brown is nursing a “pretty significant knee bruise” that hasn’t responded as well or as quickly to treatment as the team had hoped, per source. Brown now could wind up missing more time with the slow-healing nature of his knee bruise.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) September 27, 2020
Wide receivers Corey Davis (15 receptions, 206 yards, one TD), Adam Humphries (15 receptions, 136 yards, one TD), and tight end Jonnu Smith (13 receptions, 181 yards, three TDs) have stepped up to fill the void in Brown's absence.
Tennessee has followed up its run to the AFC Championship game last season with an undefeated start to the 2020 campaign. In light of the positive tests, though, it's unclear when head coach Mike Vrabel's team will next take the field.
Brown shared his own response to the Titans' coronavirus outbreak on Thursday morning:
God must was trying to protect me something
— AJ Brown (@1kalwaysopen_) October 1, 2020
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