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CeeDee Lamb, Malik Hooker, Dan Quinn Among 5 Cowboys in COVID-19 Protocols
August 23, 2021
Multiple members of the Dallas Cowboys are in COVID-19 protocols with the 2021 season approaching.
Head coach Mike McCarthy said defensive coordinator Dan Quinn and defensive tackle Carlos Watkins were sent home Monday because "they're in protocol," per Michael Gehlken of the Dallas Morning News.
The Cowboys also held virtual meetings and announced wide receiver CeeDee Lamb, safety Malik Hooker and safety Israel Mukuamu are also in protocol.
"He's feeling good," McCarthy said of Quinn. "He's been in all the meetings virtually."
The head coach continued, saying, "We all understand the protocols. ... We have everybody going through the proper testing. … We want to make sure we contain this outbreak."
Dallas hired Quinn to be the defensive coordinator this offseason after firing Mike Nolan. Quinn was previously the head coach of the Atlanta Falcons from 2015 until he was fired after Week 5 of the 2020 campaign.
He finished with a 43-42 record in Atlanta and made the Super Bowl during the 2016 campaign.
Quinn was also the defensive coordinator for the Seattle Seahawks in 2013 and 2014 and helped lead the NFC West squad to two Super Bowl appearances and one Lombardi Trophy. The Cowboys are surely looking for him to replicate that defensive success after bringing him aboard.
Watkins joined the Cowboys this offseason as well after spending his first four years in the NFL with the Houston Texans.
The Clemson product appeared in all 16 games last season and finished with 27 tackles, two sacks and one fumble recovery.
Lamb is arguably the most notable name on the list of players in protocol as a game-changing wide receiver who impressed in his rookie campaign in 2019 with 74 catches for 935 yards and five touchdowns.
Dallas is set to wrap up its preseason slate on Sunday against the Jacksonville Jaguars. It opens the regular season on Sept. 9 at the defending champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers.