With the 2020 NFL season right around the corner, multiple teams have been mulling off-field strategy concerning the COVID-19 pandemic that could give them an upper hand should things go awry during the season. One of these strategies reportedly being considered is taking special care of the quarterbacks by having them meet remotely in order to lessen the chance a team loses its entire quarterback depth chart due to a coronavirus outbreak. The New York Jets are considering taking such safety up another level, as they have discussed quarantining their quarterbacks "quite a bit" to keep them safe, according to Ralph Vacchiano of SportsNet New York.
"Once you start sticking traveling in there in the regular season, we do have to keep talking through these types of things and figuring out the best things for us to do," said head coach Adam Gase.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Arians recently said he was considering quarantining one of the team's three quarterbacks in the event multiple signal-callers became infected. ProFootballTalk's Mike Florio also recently reported that other teams are considering following suit.
"The notion of peeling a quarterback away from the rest of the team and keeping him quarantined has begun to spread as coaches begin to crystallize their plans for the coming season," Florio reported. "The question becomes whether the primary backup or the No. 3 man on the depth chart would be quarantined."
The Jets struggled mightily at the quarterback position in 2019 thanks to injuries and other ailments. Starting quarterback Sam Darnold was ruled out for New York's Week 2 game against the Cleveland Browns after coming down with mono, and backup Trevor Siemian suffered a serious ankle injury in that same game that forced him onto injured reserve. Luke Falk was then forced to come in and finish the game, and also started the next two contests before Darnold returned. Teams like the Jets who have struggled with the health of their quarterbacks could be more inclined to take extra measures to protect their signal-callers, especially since they understand how much it hurts the team when the starter goes down.
