Steelers place Vince Williams on covid list, left perilously thin at inside linebacker

Veteran inside linebacker Vince Williams became the latest member of the Pittsburgh Steelers to be placed on the NFL’s reserve/covid-19 list.

The team announced the transaction in a brief, 15-word statement late Thursday afternoon. Per league policy, the Steelers did not clarify if Williams had tested positive for the novel coronavirus or if he was merely deemed a high-risk potential exposure.

Either way, Williams will not play Sunday night in the showdown of AFC divisional leaders at the Buffalo Bills. The Steelers are already down to their third starter at the inside linebacker spot opposite Williams — Devin Bush suffered a torn ACL in October and his fill-in, Robert Spillane, suffered a knee injury during Monday’s loss to Washington. Spillane is not expected to be available Sunday.

That leaves the entirety of the Steelers’ inside linebackers corps in the hands of a pair of players who were not part of the position room as recently as a few months ago: Avery Williamson and Marcus Allen. Williamson was acquired via a Nov. 2 trade with the New York Jets, and Allen was moved to inside linebacker in August after spending his entire four-year college and two-year pro career as a safety.

6-foot-2, 215-pound Marcus Allen has seen more playing time as a hybrid linebacker in passing situations in the absence of Devin Bush and Mike Hilton. https://t.co/c9fDSF88UC

— Tribune-ReviewSports (@TribSports) November 22, 2020

Tegray Scales is on the practice squad. Scales spent the 2019 camp and preseason with the Steelers but was cut and played for the XFL’s Dallas Renegades this past spring. After two weeks on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ practice squad, Scales was signed by the Steelers on Nov. 11. He has not appeared in an NFL regular-season game since signing as an undrafted free agent in 2018.

Williams could potentially be isolated from the Steelers for as long as through the end of next week. Per NFL covid-19 protocol, a player who tests positive and is asymptomatic must wait a minimum of either five or 10 days after the initial positive test. The five-day timeframe is only applicable if the player receives two consecutive negative PCR virus tests at least 24 hours apart.

For players experiencing symptoms, there is no five-day window — the return to the team is permitted after 10 days, but even then only after 72 hours have passed since he most recently experienced symptoms.

There is a five-day isolation for individuals who are deemed high-risk contacts but are testing negative. The Steelers’ next scheduled game after the Bills is Monday night, Dec. 21, at the Cincinnati Bengals.

Veteran center Maurkice Pouncey is the only other Steelers player currently on the covid list. The Steelers on Wednesday activated starting running back James Conner off the list.

Sunday’s game would be the Steelers’ first in three weeks that did not have its date changed as a result of covid concerns. An outbreak within the Baltimore Ravens ultimately bumped back a scheduled Thanksgiving Day game to the following Wednesday, and this past week’s game against Washington was moved from Sunday to Monday.

An eight-year veteran, Williams leads the Steelers in tackles with 63 (41 solo), and he is fourth in the NFL with 14 tackles for a loss. He has two fumble recoveries and three sacks.

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