Eagles place Matt Pryor on COVID-19 list although he hasn't tested positive

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The Eagles placed offensive lineman Matt Pryor on the NFL’s COVID-19 Reserve list, but a league source said Pryor has not tested positive and has no symptoms.

The COVID-19 list is either for players who test positive or for those who have come into “close contact” with someone who has tested positive.

Pryor, who has started the last three games at right guard, practiced with the Eagles on Wednesday but then missed practice on Thursday with what the team called an undisclosed illness.

Head coach Doug Pederson said late Friday morning that Pryor was out for Sunday’s game against the Ravens but also said that up until that point the team was “clean and clear” in regard to positive COVID tests.

The Eagles practiced as usual Thursday and Friday and kept their facility open throughout the week, which likely would not have happened had Pryor tested positive or if the person Pryor had come into contact with had been another player or a team employee.

Earlier in the day, before the Eagles placed Pryor on the COVID list, Pederson spoke in general terms about the protocols the Eagles are following.

“I can't announce a lot of things publicly, but we've got to take everything into precaution, whether a guy has an upset stomach or he's got a headache or he's got whatever it could be, it doesn't even have to be COVID related,” he said. “We have to take everything seriously, and we've got to protect the entire team and the organization. We're making sure that in this case … everybody is healthy. We're testing daily, which is part of the protocol.

“So far we have been clean and clear. At the same time we've got to take precautions to make sure that if something does happen that we're prepared, we're ready, and we've got to stick to the guidelines, the protocols that have been in place. The guys have been doing a great job there, and so we continue to roll.

“We know that this is going to happen. It's going to happen -- you're seeing it around the league, right, it's happening again today. We're just taking every precaution to make sure everybody is healthy.”

Back on July 29, before the Eagles reported for training camp, three players - Jordan Mailata, Nate Gerry and Lane Johnson - were placed on the COVID-19 Reserve list. Johnson and Gerry were removed on Aug. 11 and Mailata two days later.

Pederson tested positive on Aug. 2 and returned to work on Aug. 12.

While he's on the COVID-19 list, Pryor does not count against the Eagles' 53-man active roster limit.

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