Getty Eagles DE Derek Barnett.
The Omicron variant of COVID-19 continues to wreak havoc on the NFL. Multiple games have already been postponed and the league has updated their health and safety protocols. Hopefully, the season isn’t paused because of it.
The Philadelphia Eagles have tweaked their own operating procedures inside the NovaCare Complex, including each quarterback going into different rooms during the week. The team activated five players off the Reserve/COVID-19 list this week: OT Le’Raven Clark, DE Ryan Kerrigan, OT Andre Dillard, LB Shaun Bradley, DE Tarron Jackson. That’s the good news.
The bad news is that four players remain out. The most notable name on the Reserve/COVID-19 list is starting defensive end Derek Barnett who tested positive on December 27. He still hasn’t been cleared to play with kickoff in 48 hours. Ditto for cornerback Andre Chachere. Both players seem likely to miss Sunday’s game, although they could get cleared in time for kickoff.
Meanwhile, practice squad players John Hightower (wide receiver, fifth-rounder in 2020) and Noah Togiai (tight end, undrafted in 2020) remain in the health and safety protocols. Neither guy was protected or called up to the active roster. That means they weren’t going to suit up anyway.
Eagles have activated LB Shaun Bradley from the Reserve/COVID-19 list.
Still on the list are Derek Barnett and Andre Chachere, plus practice squad members Noah Togiai and John Hightower.
Head coach Nick Sirianni talked at length about the organization’s safety precautions in regard to COVID-19 protocols earlier this week. He went out of his way to praise the Eagles’ entire football operations staff for staying ahead of the curve.
“I just can’t say enough about our building and our organization that we’re able to handle changes so seamlessly,” Sirianni said. “To me, I know how hard they are working, and I know behind the scenes they’re doing so much. When we got the rules changed, we changed a lot about how we were meeting again.”
#PHIvsWAS Status Report
Other than the COVID-19 concerns, the Eagles are in good shape for their matchup against the Washington Football Team. Miles Sanders has been ruled out and Jordan Howard is questionable. Everyone else practiced on Friday and should be good to go.
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Bigger Role for Milton Williams
The biggest beneficiary of Barnett’s assumed absence would be rookie Milton Williams. He was already gaining the trust of the coaching staff as evidenced by his 42 snaps in Week 16, the most for him since 49 in Week 3. Williams also recorded a sack last week against New York to give him two on the year. He also has 25 total tackles (four for loss) and five quarterback hits.
Williams, a third-rounder in 2021, addressed the media on Friday and discussed his first year in the pros. He heaped a ton of praise on the veterans in the defensive line room for helping him, namely guys like Barnett, Josh Sweat, Fletcher Cox, Javon Hargrave. And Brandon Graham who has been a vocal leader in the locker room despite being on injured reserve.
“I think just learning,” Williams told reporters. “Learning from those guys and getting experience from the games, getting a lot of snaps, and playing the game within the game. A lot of people on the outside they don’t understand when you say that, I think last week some guy asked Jalen [Hurts] what he saw in the coverage and he had to explain it and some of the reporters were like whoa. It’s kind of the same thing, not to the same extent, but kind of the same thing for defensive linemen.”
.@miltonw_12 on the hectic schedule that comes with transitioning from college to the NFL
Sirianni Talks About John Madden’s Legacy
The NFL will hold a moment of silence for John Madden at every single game in Week 17. It’s a well-deserved honor for one of the greatest football minds to ever command a locker room or control a broadcast booth. Madden’s legacy will live on forever. And while Sirianni never met the man, the Eagles coach knows what Madden meant to the sport.
“He’s just got that voice that was unbelievable. The charisma,” Sirianni said. “He just made watching football games on television, he just made it really enjoyable for all people. So obviously, we’re saddened, and he’ll be missed.”
John Madden, Philadelphia Eagles training camp, 1958.
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