The Bears have their first coronavirus concern of the offseason: nose tackle Eddie Goldman is being placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list, the team said Tuesday.
Players are put on the list if they’ve tested positive or are ruled a close contact of someone who is. It’s unclear if Goldman is vaccinated. The NFL has two sets of rules: for vaccinated players and for those who are not. Vaccinated players are allowed to test once every 14 days or at the team’s discretion. Unvaccinated players must be tested daily.
Vaccinated players without symptoms can return to camp after two negative tests at least 24 hours apart. Unvaccinated players who are ruled a high-risk close contact to an infected person must isolate for five days, even if they’ve tested negative.
Bears coach Matt Nagy did not address Goldman’s absence before Tuesday’s practice at Soldier Field. Swing tackle Elijah Wilkinson, long snapper Patrick Scales and inside linebacker Christian Jones did not practice, but the team has not given a reason why.
Goldman sat out last season because of coronavirus concerns, skipped mandatory minicamp and reported to training camp last week.
“It was really challenging,” Goldman said last week. “When I made the decision [to sit out] I weighed all of my options. And just thinking I would be away from the game for a year it was just, it really took a toll on me. Especially when I watched the season and how it played out and how we made the playoffs and everything. It was something to experience. But it wasn’t really a fun thing.”
