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ESPN Staff Writer- Mike Reiss is an NFL reporter at ESPN and covers the New England Patriots. Reiss has covered the Patriots since 1997 and joined ESPN in 2009. In 2019, he was named Massachusetts Sportswriter of the Year by the National Sports Media Association.
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ESPN NFL Insider- Field Yates is a fantasy football expert and NFL draft analyst for ESPN. You can find him on Fantasy Football Now on Sunday mornings and regularly on NFL Live throughout the week, as well as the Fantasy Focus and First Draft podcasts. A graduate of Wesleyan University (CT) and native of Weston, Mass., Yates has previous experience interning with the New England Patriots on both their coaching and scouting staffs.
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- The New England Patriots have canceled their Friday practice and player interviews after a positive COVID-19 test, according to a source, and are also awaiting confirmation on a second positive test.
The Patriots plan to place reserve offensive lineman James Ferentz on the reserve/COVID-19 list, a source told ESPN.
The Patriots are scheduled to host the Denver Broncos on Sunday. That game had been rescheduled from Week 5 after Patriots starting defensive tackle Byron Cowart tested positive two days before kickoff.
All NFL games for this week remain on schedule, a league source told ESPN's Dianna Russini on Friday.
"We're under the assumption and the understanding that this game is going to go off on time," Broncos coach Vic Fangio said Friday. "And anything that happens otherwise will happen when it happens."
Friday's positive test for the Patriots comes one day after quarterback Cam Newton, cornerback Stephon Gilmore and practice squad defensive tackle Bill Murray practiced for the first time after being taken off the reserve/COVID-19 list.
The Patriots had been scheduled to practice Friday at 1 p.m. ET. Players previously said they had only been inside the facility for weightlifting the past few days, with all meetings being held virtually.
The facility had been shut down Sunday, Monday and Tuesday, before players returned Wednesday for conditioning work. The team's first practice of the week was Thursday.
Ferentz practiced Thursday. On Wednesday, when the Patriots submitted a projected injury report if they had practiced, they listed Ferentz as someone who would not have participated for non-injury reasons.
Ferentz started at center and played every snap in the Patriots' 26-10 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs on Oct. 5. It was his first action of the season
