Packers: New signing Jared Veldheer placed on reserve/COVID-19 list

The Packers have placed Jared Veldheer on the reserve/COVID-19 list.

Just days after re-signing with the Green Bay Packers, tackle Jared Veldheer has been placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list, the team announced on Wednesday.

With only three days to go until the game, this means he won’t be able to play a part in Saturday’s divisional round matchup with the Los Angeles Rams.

According to ESPN’s Rob Demovsky, no other player on the team has been deemed a close contact which means, as of now, Veldheer will be the only player to miss the divisional round game this week.

Of course, this could change at any point if another player tests positive for COVID-19 in the coming days.

First of all, we wish Veldheer a speedy recovery. Hopefully he’ll be able to return next week if the Packers advance to the NFC Championship Game. But more important that anything is that he gets healthy.

From a football perspective, the Packers will have less depth at the tackle position. While it was unclear whether Veldheer would’ve started against the Rams (it’s probably unlikely), he would’ve been a great backup option had one of the starting two had to leave the game for any reason.

Assuming there are no more positive tests prior to the game, we can assume it will be Billy Turner and Rick Wagner starting at the two tackle spots. Should either player suffer an injury, an option would be to slide Pro Bowler Elgton Jenkins out to tackle as we’ve seen already this season.

The next couple of days will be important to see if any other player tests positive.

The Packers host the Rams in the first of four playoff games across the league this weekend. The winner at Lambeau Field will await the result of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers-New Orleans Saints game on Sunday to find out their opponents for the NFC Championship Game.