On Friday afternoon, the Chicago Bears placed offensive lineman Elijah Wilkinson on the Reserve/COVID-19 list. The announcement comes just one day after the Bears broke a five-game losing streak with a victory over the Detroit Lions. So far, no other players have joined the list along with Wilkinson. For now, it appears to be an isolated incident.
Wilkinson appeared in all 11 games for the Bears this year. He is halfway through his fifth season in the NFL, the first with Chicago. The offensive lineman has been part of a rotating group up front this season, only notching one start.
Furthermore, Wilkinson is unvaccinated, according to Patrick Finley of the Sun-Times.
This means that he has to quarantine for a minimum of 10 days. Additionally, he must test negative and show no symptoms after that as well. He will now miss the Bears’ next game on December 5 against the visiting Arizona Cardinals.
No further information has emerged on Wilkinson’s COVID-19 symptoms. We don’t know yet about other players’ risk or any other close contact with people outside the organization. This is the second time this season the Bears have placed Elijah Wilkinson on the COVID-19 reserve list.
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Husband and father, Chicago (mostly) sports fan, total gym rat and geek enthusiast. I write for OnTapSportsNet and talk fantasy football on the Fantasy Hour On Tap. Gaming, movies, TV shows, books, and bodybuilding/strongman are some of my other passions. A good-tasting white ale goes well with any sporting event. #Crackum
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