Linebacker Anthony Barr latest Vikings player placed on COVID list

Linebacker Anthony Barr was the eighth Vikings player placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list. The move comes a day after Barr was scheduled to take his second coronavirus test as part of the entry protocols for training camp.

July 30, 2020 at 9:05PM
(The Minnesota Star Tribune)

The Vikings added linebacker Anthony Barr to the NFL's COVID-19 reserve list on Thursday afternoon, making the former Pro Bowler their eighth player to be placed on the list this week.

The fact Barr was placed on the list means he either tested positive for coronavirus or came into close contact with a carrier. Barr reported to training camp with the Vikings' other veterans on Tuesday for the start of COVID-19 testing, and would have taken tests on Tuesday and Wednesday with the rest of the group.

Players were not scheduled for testing on Thursday, but will have another test on Friday. If they've tested negative three times in four days, they will be allowed to enter the team facility for physicals and equipment distribution on Saturday.

If Barr was placed on the reserve list for contact tracing purposes, he can potentially return to the active roster within 24 hours. A positive test result means he can only rejoin the active roster after two negative tests in five days if he's asymptomatic. If Barr is showing symptoms, he would need to be out at least 10 days, including three consecutive days without symptoms, before he returns.

NFL teams are not required to disclose why a player was placed on the COVID reserve list.

Barr is the highest-profile Vikings veteran to be placed on the list, following Ifeadi Odenigbo, Cameron Smith and Oli Udoh on Wednesday. Four rookies -- first-round pick Justin Jefferson, sixth-rounder Blake Brandel, seventh-rounder Brian Cole and undrafted free agent Tyler Higby -- were placed on the list on Tuesday.

about the writer

about the writer

Ben Goessling

Sports reporter

Ben Goessling has covered the Vikings since 2012, first at the Pioneer Press and ESPN before becoming the Minnesota Star Tribune's lead Vikings reporter in 2017. He was named one of the top NFL beat writers by the Pro Football Writers of America in 2024, after honors in the AP Sports Editors and National Headliner Awards contests in 2023.

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