Ezekiel Elliott Among Cowboys, Texans Reported to Test Positive for COVID-19

The NFL has not had any play suspended during the COVID-19 pandemic, given the timing of the league's schedule. But it does now have a number of positive tests on its hands.

According to Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero of NFL Network, the Dallas Cowboys and Houston Texans both have "several" players who have tested positive for the coronavirus.

Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott was one of the positive cases, his agent confirmed to Rapoport.

Rapoport added that Elliott's agent, Rocky Arceneaux, said the star running back was "feeling good," while Patrick Walker of CBS Sports reported that Elliott was asymptomatic and had been tested as a precaution.

"Due to federal and local privacy laws, we are unable to provide information regarding the personal health of any of our employees," the Cowboys said in a statement, per Rapoport. 

ESPN reported that "one player was experiencing flu-like symptoms but is fine now, while other players who tested positive for the virus were asymptomatic."

And Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk reported that two Cowboys and two Texans in total tested positive, but added "the number, of course, could increase. According to the source, one of the Texans players attended George Floyd's funeral last week—along with a sizable delegation from the organization."

These positive cases could be cause for concern on a number of fronts. Texas, for example, has seen six straight days with record numbers of hospitalizations due to the COVID-19 pandemic, per Berkeley Lovelace Jr. of CNBC.

"I'm growing increasingly concerned that we may be approaching the precipice—the precipice of a disaster," said Harris County judge Lina Hidalgo, per CBS DFW.

It's possible the Cowboys and Texans could be trying to open training camps in mid-July amid a full breakout in Texas, given the way the state is trending, complicating those plans. But there also could be implications for the NFL at large:

For the time being, a reported four players testing positive for the coronavirus is unlikely to shift the NFL's plans for the upcoming season. But it is a situation the league will surely be monitoring closely going forward.