Ravens place veteran NT Brandon Williams on Reserve/COVID-19 list
The Baltimore Ravens have placed veteran defensive tackle Brandon Williams on the Reserve/COVID-19 list. The list was created for players who either test positive for COVID-19 or who have been in close proximity with an infected person or persons.
This marks the first time that the Ravens have been significantly impacted by the coronavirus since the regular season began.
There have been a string of outbreaks and a spike in positive and false-positive tests league-wide and this likely explains why he was excused from practice for non-injury related reasons on Thursday and Friday.
Williams will miss the Ravens’ Week Six matchup with the Philadelphia Eagles and could possibly miss even more time depending on whether he was the one that tested positive or however long the person he came in contact with takes to recover from the virus.
This is a tough blow for Baltimore’s defensive line that will already likely be without starting defensive tackle Derek Wolfe who is listed as doubtful for Sunday with a neck injury and concussion that kept him out practice on Thursday and Friday.
The Ravens still have veteran defensive end Calais Campbell slated to start against the Eagles but will have to rely on their depth to rotate in at the other two spots.
Seventh-year veteran Justin Ellis has served as Williams’ primary backup nose tackle for most of the season and could the first man up to fill in at his spot this week in Philadelphia.
Rookie defensive linemen Justin Madubuike and Broderick Washington will probably see their most action of their inaugural seasons thus far against the Eagles.
Madubuike could be in line to make his first career start after impressing in his NFL debut last week to the point where Head Coach John Harbaugh called him a “force”.