The Detroit Lions could be without a significant portion of their coaching staff Saturday against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported that the COVID-19 positives from Tuesday left Detroit's coaching staff in a difficult situation with almost all of their defensive staff members considered close contacts, per sources informed of the situation.
Interim coach Darrell Bevell is also considered a close contact.
Given the quick turnaround to Saturday's tilt, Detroit is still determining who can coach this Saturday.
The Lions later announced there have been no new positive results and the team anticipates holding outdoor practice Wednesday.
"I think there's still a lot of information and dialogue going on between the league right now and the team, so we're still working through that and sifting through all that information," Bevell told reporters Wednesday. "I know you guys will be concerned about the coaches and what everyone's going to be doing at different times during the game, that kind of thing. But right now, we're just really focused on today (and) getting through the end of this day and making sure we have a good practice today. I can tell you, as far as the coaching staff goes, everybody is still involved because of the great Zoom that we have, so able to prepare the players like we normally would all throughout the day. Myself and the other coaches that won't be at practice will be in there watching it on Zoom live, so we'll be able to make corrections when we need to after practice as well."
Bevell added: "By the end of the week, we'll give you all the information that we need to in terms of the contingency plans that we have for guys in specific roles. Obviously, it's a time where we really do need to adjust, and we've shown the ability to do that before and this thing is going to be no different. We've got great coaches on the staff, a great support staff, and everyone's kind of rallying together to be able to help out in this time and fitting in when they can."
The positive results that caused the closing of the team facility Tuesday resulted from the Lions travel, and the team is working with the NFL to determine high-risk close contacts, Rapoport added.
How that process shakes out could determine how few coaches Detroit might field Saturday afternoon against Tom Brady and the Bucs.
