The Tampa Bay Buccaneers announced on Tuesday afternoon that head coach Bruce Arians has tested positive for COVID-19. Arians is isolating at home with mild symptoms, and assistant head coach/run game coordinator Harold Goodwin will be the team’s acting head coach until his return. The team also announced starting cornerbacks cornerbacks Sean Murphy-Bunting and Jamel Dean were placed on the reserve/COVID list on Tuesday.
Said Arians, per the team’s official website: “I tested positive for COVID-19 this morning (Tuesday) but have only experienced mild symptoms to this point. Harold Goodwin will take over my duties during my absence. I have complete confidence in him and the rest of our coaching staff to prepare the team for this week’s game against the Jets. I look forward to rejoining the team and being back in the facility as soon as I can test back in.”
Murphy-Bunting and Dean are the latest Buccaneers to be placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list, joining wide receivers Mike Evans and Jaelon Darden, as well as defensive lineman Rakeem Nunez-Roches. Their availability for the Jets game is in doubt, but under newly-adjusted NFL protocols, vaccinated players who test positive can return with after two negative tests, 24 hours apart, if asymptomatic.
The Buccaneers are preparing for a road game against the New York Jets on Sunday. The team already has clinched an NFC playoff spot and the NFC South title, but the No. 1 seed in the conference remains within reach.
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