Buffalo Bills’ wide receiver Duke Williams and defensive tackle Vincent Taylor will be unable to immediately practice with teammates after being placed on the Reserve/COVID-19 list per the NFL’s transaction wire. Corner Ike Brown was placed on the list earlier this week.
The NFL has not released all of the details of the list, but players must be immediately added if they tested positive for COVID-19 or have been in close contact with an infected person and are under mandatory quarantine. According to a release from the Minnesota Vikings, the agreement between the NFL and NFLPA prohibits teams from disclosing if a player has tested positive.
Additional details of this particular roster status are also murky. From a report on NFL.com “Unlike injured reserve, there is no specified return time for the reserve/COVID-19 list as it’s only the minimum time it takes for a player to pass NFL-NFL Players Association testing and treatment protocols.” The best current information suggests multiple negative tests are required.
The news will likely hurt Williams’s chances of making the roster at the hotly contested backup wide receiver position. Taylor won’t be hurt as much, as he plays 1-tech defensive tackle and the starter at that position, Star Lotulelei, has opted out of the season.