Patriots’ Cam Newton for COVID violation before Giants practice

The Giants won’t see the Patriots’ likely starting quarterback on Wednesday in the first of two joint practices.

That’s because Cam Newton – who appears to be winning an open competition against rookie Mac Jones – broke NFL COVID-19 protocols and can’t join his teammates until Thursday. Newton attended a team-approved medical appointment outside of New England and ‘due to misunderstanding’ over testing outside an NFL facility must now be absent for five days despite receiving negative test results, according to the Patriots.

Giants coach Joe Judge declined to say if he would use Newton as a good time to learn about accountability to his players, but it’s easy to imagine every NFL coach just relived 2020 and contingency plans needed if a key player is not eligible for a regular season. Game.

Newton’s required five-day “re-entry” into the team indicates he is among the less than 10% of NFL players unvaccinated against COVID-19. The Giants are over 90 percent vaccinated, according to owner John Mara, but it appears many starters are unvaccinated and therefore undergo daily testing, unlike the rest of the squad.

“If someone were to miss a game due to any breach of protocol, we have been very clear with our players all the time that they obviously have a choice and we will support their choice, but the protocols have to follow and make sure we’re on the same page, ”the judge said. “I want to clarify that I do not know the situation that occurred [with Newton] and I’m not going to comment on someone else’s team.

Here are some updates on injuries:

RB Saquon Barkley (knee) is expected to be more involved this week than he was in joint practices against the Browns, as he was limited to the Giants-only drills. “I can’t say that means 11 against 11 or seven against seven,” the judge said.

WR Kenny Golladay (hamstring) was ruled out 11-11 against the Patriots. The judge also didn’t make a commitment to Golladay’s return before the regular-season opener on September 12. “We’ll see where he goes physically,” Judge said. “I don’t have a long term answer.”

WR Kadarius Toney (undisclosed) will start the week with the group of players in rehabilitation alongside training. “We’ll see if we can integrate him more with some of the individuals who train early and see if he’s ready at that point to move on and do something more competitive,” Judge said.

OT Nate Solder (shoulder) hasn’t played in any of the preseason games after retiring from last season. It is in a period of ramping up for its practical workload. “I will physically see where he is in terms of getting into the game,” said Judge.

Just because Sunday’s game against the Patriots is a “dress rehearsal” for the regular season doesn’t mean that all Sunday starters are Week 1 starters. The rosters must go from 85 to 80 by now. Tuesday, then to 53 by August 31.

“I wouldn’t assume any of that,” the judge said. “Obviously when we go out on Sunday it will directly reflect how well people are performing at this point. However, there will be a lot of guys that we will have one last look at. We’re going to have to take a look at some guys in certain situations, see how they fit into certain units, and the chemistry and impact that they can make.