Eagles
Eagles Place First Player On Reserve/COVID-19 List
Penn State Great Valley MBA, Penn State Berks Undergrad, Eagle Scout and Vigil Honor, IT Service Manager. I joined Sports Talk Philly in 2017 and root for all the Philly teams (as well as their minor league counter parts).
All posts by Paul BowmanPublished29 Jul 2020
By Paul Bowman, Sports Talk Philly Editor 
On Tuesday, the Eagles got their first blow to the roster dealt by COVID-19 as veteran receiver Marquise Goodwin opted out of the season.
On Wednesday, the team was dealt their second blow.
The NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo reports that Eagles right tackle Lane Johnson was placed on the COVID-19 list.
#Eagles RT Lane Johnson has been placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list, sources say, meaning he either tested positive or is in quarantine after close contact with someone who tested positive. He’ll have to pass the testing and treatment protocols to return.
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) July 29, 2020
The placement does not necessarily mean he has the virus and could indicate he was around someone who did test positive.
In either case, Johnson will need to stay away from the team until he passes the protocols in place with the NFL.
UPDATE: Johnson has since posted that he personally tested positive for the virus.
— Lane Johnson (@LaneJohnson65) July 29, 2020
It is extremely likely more Eagles will eventually find themselves on the list.
The development could make it difficult for Johnson and his new battery mate, Jason Peters, to develop that chemistry of playing next to each other. Luckily, the two know each other well, they are just not used to playing next to each other.
Johnson can continue to prep for the season on his own as well as continue to produce more episodes of the podcast he started in quarantine.
Johnson has been the Eagles starting right tackle for the past seven seasons and has earned three Pro Bowl nominations in addition to one First-Team All-Pro selection.
UPDATE: The team has since officially announces the move along with the moves of both starting linebacker Nathan Gerry and offensive tackle Jordan Mailata.
Roster Moves: #Eagles have placed LB Nathan Gerry, T Lane Johnson, and T Jordan Mailata on the Reserve/COVID-19 list. pic.twitter.com/WvYfcFuCvY
— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) July 29, 2020
Gerry is currently the top linebacker on the Eagles depth chart and Mailata would be one of the guys in line to take reps with Johnson out.
