Eagles Head Coach Doug Pederson Running Team Virtually After COVID-19 Diagnosis
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- The Philadelphia Eagles are back at work getting ready for their season but they are without head coach Doug Pederson. He's quarantined at home after testing positive for COVID-19.
Pederson says he is feeling fine.
So, how much of an impact could Pederson testing positive for COVID-19 have on the Eagles' offseason program? The answer may be not much.
The team is still in its virtual offseason work with a heavy emphasis on strength and conditioning. Then the acclimation period begins, which will include walkthroughs.
On Monday, Pederson spoke with the media via Zoom but declined to say how or where he contracted the virus outside of the NovaCare Complex. But he did say that he feels good about his health and the protocols within his building.
He also said that he's learned that he can run the team virtually.
"I've been able to talk with my staff about contingencies, not only with players but also with staff members," he said. "I'm not going to speculate on a timetable for me, I treat it like players. I'm not going to speculate on that. When I'm back, I'm back."
So if Pederson remains asymptomatic, he cannot come back to the NovaCare Complex for 10 days, or if he has back-to-back negative tests after an initial five-day waiting period.
This means he could be back in the saddle well before padded practices begin on Aug. 17.
The NFL doesn't have the same bubble as the NHL and NBA, so Pederson says once the players leave their nest they're on their own to be responsible.
The coach is fortunate to have this happen to him at the beginning of the football season.
In regards to players, Pederson says it's unfortunate but they know positive tests will happen over the course of a season.
He says if it happens, they hope positive tests happen early enough to not affect the actual games.