(670 The Score) Bears coach Matt Nagy has maintained a virtual presence with his team while away from Halas Hall due to COVID-19, and it remains unclear whether he'll be on the sideline Sunday when Chicago hosts the San Francisco 49ers at Soldier Field.
Nagy, who's vaccinated and said he's feeling well, must test negative twice in a row before he'd be eligible to return. He first learned of his positive test Monday morning.
Bears special teams coordinator Chris Tabor would serve as the team's acting head coach Sunday if Nagy remains in isolation. In the past couple days, Nagy has been present in virtual meetings with the team or individual position groups. He also can watch practice live through an iPad being held on the field by a team staff member.
But Nagy wouldn't be permitted virtual access to his players or coaches during the game Sunday if he's not at Soldier Field.
"One of my strengths is the relationships with the players and being able to connect with them, be there for them and support them, that sort of thing," Nagy said Wednesday. "So, it kills me that I'm not able to do that. We'll see when I am able to do it. But that's life. I think one of the biggest things as we kind of go through what we're going through right now, whether it's as a team sitting at 3-4 or whether it's me personally being positive for COVID, how it affects my family, etcetera, there are so many little parts to this.
"What I have to do, which is always to my core, is stay positive. When you stay positive, it makes things a lot easier and it also helps others out. I'm just not a guy that gets real negative. I'm not a guy that gets into these funks where I can't pull out. That's not me. That's not how I roll."
Nagy conducted his media session Wednesday virtually. He declined to reveal where he's isolating.
The Bears had established COVID-19 contingency plans for their coaching staff in 2020, when the NFL played through more daunting challenges during the onset of this pandemic. Nagy endured a situation similar to this during rookie minicamp in May, when he was deemed a close contact to a family member and was forced away from Halas Hall. Nagy conducted meetings virtually and similarly watched practice live on an iPad.
Earlier in October, Arizona Cardinals coach Kliff Kingsbury missed his team's game in Cleveland after testing positive for COVID-19. Browns coach Kevin Stefanski also missed a wild-card game last January because of a positive test.
After placing two more players – offensive tackle Elijah Wilkinson and linebacker Caleb Johnson – on the reserve/COVID-19 list Sunday, the Bears haven't had any other players lost. Nagy remains hopeful the team has halted its apparent virus outbreak.
Kickoff between the Bears (3-4) and 49ers (2-4) comes Sunday at noon from Soldier Field.
Chris Emma covers the Bears, Chicago's sports scene and more for 670TheScore.com. Follow him on Twitter @CEmma670.
