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Rams activate Odell Beckham Jr., 5 others from reserve/COVID list after outbreak

The Los Angeles Rams activated six players from their reserve/COVID-19 list on Saturday, cutting a significant dent in their massive team-wide outbreak.

The Rams, though, still have 25 players on that list ahead of Tuesday’s rescheduled game against the Seattle Seahawks.

The Rams activated receiver Odell Beckham Jr., running back Darrell Henderson, defensive back Dont’e Deayon, linebacker Justin Hollins, tight end Brycen Hopkins and tackle Alaric Jackson on Saturday. They also added lineman Joe Noteboom and cornerback Robert Rochell.

"It does look like we're going in the positive direction right now," coach Sean McVay said, via ESPN. "You're starting to see some of these test results, you're getting ... we had significantly less number of positives yesterday, guys are not feeling symptomatic. We know those testing procedures have changed, we're getting some guys that are going to be testing out. They're feeling better."

The Rams also said Saturday that a “handful” of staff members have tested positive for the coronavirus, too, though they didn’t say who or how many, according to ESPN. McVay said he doesn’t think their outbreak was caused by “any reckless decisions or behavior,” either.

The Rams are currently listed as -6.5 favorites on BetMGM in their matchup with the Seahawks at SoFi Stadium.

Odell Beckham Jr of the Los Angeles Rams
Odell Beckham Jr. was activated off the reserve/COVID-19 list on Saturday. (Norm Hall/Getty Images) (Norm Hall via Getty Images)

Rams game postponed amid league-wide outbreak

The Rams were one of three teams that were reportedly on the verge of having to forfeit games in Week 15 due to outbreaks.

The Rams, the Cleveland Browns and Washington Football Team all had their games postponed due to significant outbreaks within each organization. The Browns’ game against the Las Vegas Raiders was moved to Monday, and Washington’s game against the Philadelphia Eagles was also pushed to Tuesday.

More than 100 players across the NFL were sent into the league’s reserve/COVID-19 list this week, something that prompted calls and backlash from players on social media.

The NFL announced on Saturday that it will stop mandating weekly coronavirus tests for asymptomatic vaccinated players starting next week — something that could both allow the virus to spread undetected through organizations and also increase opportunities for infected, vaccinated players to compete. “Roughly two-thirds” of cases throughout the league have been asymptomatic, commissioner Roger Goodell said.