Saints receive a positive COVID-19 test after landing in Detroit

The New Orleans Saints set up camp at the team hotel Saturday night before Sunday’s game with the Detroit Lions and learned that one player, fullback Michael Burton, in the traveling party tested positive for COVID-19, reported Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk.

Fox Sports insider Jay Glazer confirmed the news, adding that tests are being re-examined to check against a false positive test result. Four other players in close contact with their teammate who tested positive are awaiting point-of-contact test results, including star running back Alvin Kamara.

Players are sampled with daily nasal swab tests, but the results are not available until hours later. This would mean they didn’t know about Burton’s positive test until the team plane landed in Detroit.

It’s a serious situation, and one the NFL has experienced repeatedly during the last week. Several Week 4 games have been postponed due to positive COVID-19 test results, but it’s too soon to say whether Sunday’s Saints-Lions game will be delayed. Last week, the Atlanta Falcons played the Chicago Bears after designating cornerback A.J. Terrell to the COVID-19 reserve list a day earlier.

And the Saints have had several false positive results back in training camp. But they also know how serious this can be, having sidelined running back Dwayne Washington for 18 days on the reserve list. Saints coach Sean Payton and team owner Gayle Benson have both recovered from the coronavirus earlier this year.

But this is every bit a developing situation. Stay tuned for updates.