Cam Newton on Track to Play on Monday

Cam Newton is not at the team facility nor is he going to practice with his Patriots teammates on Saturday.  Despite this and the positive test he received last weekend he is on track to play on Monday.

The NFL's protocols allow for an asymptomatic player to return quicker than a player who tests positive and is physically ill.  The risk of spreading the virus is believed to be reduced.

From Pro Football Talk:

Based on the official protocols, there’s a path for both Newton and Gilmore to return for Monday’s game against the Broncos.

For a player who tests positive but remains asymptomatic, the player can return 10 days after the first positive test — if the team’s head primary-care physician determines, in consultation with the league, that it’s safe for the player to return to the facility. Alternatively, an asymptomatic player may return if he receives negative PCR virus tests, at least 24 hours apart, if (again) the team’s head primary-care physician determines, in consultation with the league, that it’s safe for the player to return to the facility.

This procedure acknowledges that an asymptomatic player who tests positive may not be able to test negative within 10 days, but that he otherwise may not present a risk of spreading the virus. So Newton, even if still positive, can return on Monday.

That's great news for the Patriots.  They don't want another Hoyer-Stidham shit show, even if the odds are they would win this one.