The Pittsburgh Steelers placed tight end Vance McDonald on the Reserve/COVID-19 List on Monday and on Tuesday morning four more players joined him on it, according to the team.
The four players include quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, tackle offensive lineman Jerald Hawkins, running back Jaylen Samuels and inside linebacker Vince Williams. All four players will be isolated for five days and are not permitted to be at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex or take part in practice.
All four players will need to pass COVID-19 tests throughout the week before they are potentially eligible to play on Sunday against the Cincinnati Bengals one Sunday. In the meantime, the players will be permitted to take part in virtual team meetings.
Roethlisberger was deemed a high-risk, close contact, per Adam Schefter. Provided he passes COVID tests this week, he would be eligible to come off the list Saturday and play Sunday against the Bengals.
The Reserve/COVID-19 list was created for a player who either tests positive for COVID-19 or who has been in close contact with an infected person or persons.
This is the same scenario the Baltimore Ravens went through last week with numerous players on the heels of cornerback Marlon Humphrey testing positive for COVID-19, one day after playing all 53 defensive snaps in the team’s Week 8 home loss to the Steelers.
