Washington puts yet another starter on COVID list originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
Just a few days before they’ll come to Philadelphia to take on the Eagles, the Washington Football Team continues to get decimated by COVID-19.
On Thursday, they added three more players to their Reserve/COVID-19 list, bringing the total up to 21 players, 17 of whom were on the active roster.
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The Eagles, meanwhile, have two players on their COVID-19 list and just one of them (Quez Watkins) was on the active roster.
The latest additions to the Washington COVID list are safety Kam Curl, and centers Keith Ismael and Tyler Larsen. Curl is a starter and he’s the sixth defensive starter currently on the COVID list.
READ: How Washington is handling COVID crisis with Eagles looming
Here’s the full list of Washington players on the Reserve/COVID-19 list (as of Thursday): DT Jonathan Allen, QB Kyle Allen, S Troy Apke, DE Will Bradley-King, S Kam Curl, LB Milo Eifler, S Darrick Forrest, CB Kendall Fuller, TE Temarrick Hemingway, LB Khaleke Hudson, DT Matt Ioannidis, C Keith Ismael, C Tyler Larsen, T Cornelius Lucas, LB David Mayo, TE Sammis Reyes, DT Tim Settle, DE James Smith-Williams, DE Montez Sweat, DE Casey Toohill.
The only player Washington has activated from the COVID-19 list this week is cornerback Darryl Roberts.
“With all the uncertainty, we have to look at guys we have to elevate (from the practice squad) and then slot guys into (new) positions and work them,” Washington head coach Ron Rivera said Wednesday.
READ: As COVID-19 cases rise around NFL, Eagles taking extra precautions
“Other than that, we’re changing nothing. We’re meeting by Zoom – that’s part of the enhanced protocols, and that’s unfortunate - but that’s the biggest difference. Move a few guys around, elevate a few guys. Other than that? Business as usual.”
Vaccinated players, especially those put on the list earlier in the week, have a chance to get cleared in time for Sunday. Vaccinated players can be cleared with two negative PCR tests at least 24 hours apart and 48 hours without symptoms.
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But even if some players return in time for Sunday, Washington will clearly be at a disadvantage and the NFL doesn’t seem keen on the idea of postponing games in 2021.
The Eagles, meanwhile, are trying their best to avoid a similar outbreak. They have started to wear masks at all times in the NovaCare Complex and have made an effort to spread out their meetings as much as possible. The biggest change is that now the big defensive meeting is happening in the practice bubble like they were held last season.
The Eagles know they’ve been lucky so far and they want to make sure they keep this advantage entering the final four games of the season.
