Cowboys' Amari Cooper Placed on COVID-19 List, Out Vs. Chiefs

Cowboys’ Amari Cooper placed on COVID-19 list, out vs. Chiefs originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington

The Dallas Cowboys will be without one of their stars when they take the field at Arrowhead Stadium on Sunday.

Wide receiver Amari Cooper was placed on the NFL's reserve/COVID-19 list on Friday, meaning he will miss Dallas' Week 11 showdown against the Kansas City Chiefs.

The wideout has played in all nine of Dallas’ games so far this season. He is second on the team with 44 catches, 583 receiving yards and five receiving touchdowns. Michael Gallup, who returned to action in Week 10 against the Atlanta Falcons after missing seven games with a calf injury, will be expected to have an increased role against the Chiefs.

Vaccinated players that test positive are allowed to return to their team once they have two negative test results more than 24 hours apart, according to the NFL’s protocols. They also must be asymptomatic. Unvaccinated players, on the other hand, must isolate for 10 days and be asymptomatic before returning if they test positive. If Cooper is unvaccinated and deemed a close contact, he could return in five days.

Since Cooper’s vaccination status is not known, his status for the Cowboys’ Thanksgiving Day game against the Las Vegas Raiders is currently up in the air. The Cowboys’ ensuing game after that is also on a Thursday night against the New Orleans Saints on Dec. 2.

Sunday’s game will mark the second time in three weeks that a marquee player missed a matchup with the Chiefs. Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers was also ruled out for a road game in Kansas City after testing positive for COVID-19.

The Cowboys are 7-2 on the year and can pad their lead atop the NFC East with a win on Sunday. Kansas City is 6-4 and hoping to win its fourth straight game.

Kickoff between the two teams is set for 4:25 p.m. ET on Sunday.