All-Pro guard Brandon Scherff was absent from Saturday’s practice for the Washington Football Team. He and offensive tackle David Sharpe were placed on the COVID-19/reserved list, head coach Ron Rivera announced.
Washington now has six players on the COVID list. That includes offensive tackle Cornelius Lucas, wide receiver Curtis Samuel, defensive tackle Matt Ioannidis and cornerback Chris Miller in addition to Scherff and Sharpe.
Washington has struggled at the early stages of training camp with its vaccination rate. The team had the lowest vaccination rate in the NFL among players, according to Nicki Jhabvalal of The Washington Post.
It’s unclear if any of the players on the COVID list are fully vaccinated. However, Scherff drew speculation on Friday when he conducted his presser with reporters while wearing a mask. Unvaccinated players are required to wear a mask indoors when talking to reporters.
Only unvaccinated players can be labeled “high-risk” close contacts and be sidelined without a positive test, according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.
Rivera admits the lack of vaccines with the Washington Football Team could make evaluating players and getting ready for the season difficult. Last week, Rivera expressed he was “beyond frustrated” with the team’s rate.
A number of players have asked to set up vaccination shots for Sunday, Rivera said.
Rivera was mum on who would replace Scherff in the first team at right guard in practice. Scherff is cemented at right guard. He will be playing his second straight season on a franchise tag. He remains “very confident” a long-term deal can be worked out after the 2021 season.
