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Adam Schefter
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Todd Archer
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ESPN Staff Writer- Covered NFL since 1997, Cowboys since 2003
- Previously covered Bengals and Dolphins
- Lives in Dallas area with his wife and two children
A large number of Dallas Cowboys are forming their own virtual training camp bubble before on-field practices start Friday, league sources told ESPN.
Players, coaches and staff will set up their summer home at the five-star Omni Hotel that is next to the Cowboys’ practiced facility to help their fight against COVID-19 starting Wednesday, source said.
One official said he believed the majority of the team would be staying there. The hotel has everything the organization needs and is close enough that the players and other members of the organization can walk everywhere.
The Cowboys are joining the New Orleans Saints as two teams that are setting up their own virtual bubbles in their own cities to help prevent any potential spread of COVID-19. Both teams will be staying, en masse, at hotels near their facility or adjacent to them.
In a normal year, the Cowboys would be at the River Ridge Residence Inn in Oxnard, California, for more than a month for training camp.
With the ability to do something similar at the Omni, the Cowboys believe setting up their own bubble will help their preparations under new coach Mike McCarthy.
Since the start of the testing process, the Cowboys had two players land on the reserve/COVID-19 list, wide receiver Jon’Vea Johnson and cornerback Saivion Smith, but both rejoined the 80-man active roster this week. The team has been pleasantly surprised at the low number of positive COVID tests, sources said.
The Cowboys are not mandating players stay at the hotel, but they have strongly suggested it. And it is catching on.
Source : ESPN
