On Wednesday, the Green Bay Packers placed the offensive attack Jared Veldheer on the reserve / COVID-19 list. ESPN’s Field Yates reports that Veldheer did indeed test positive for the coronavirus, so there is no chance that he will be able to prepare for Green Bay’s divisional round battle against the Los Angeles Rams. This is unfortunate for several reasons, as Veldheer was set to make history in the NFL this Saturday, playing for two different teams in a single postseason.
After spending most of the regular 2020 season without a team, Veldheer signed with the Indianapolis Colts training team in December. He was then called up in time for the Colts’ wild-card clash with the Buffalo Bills, a game the Colts ended up losing 27-24 last Saturday. As Veldheer was technically on the Colts’ training team – and was simply elevated through special NFL protocols to give teams flexibility during the current pandemic – he returned to the training team at the end of the game. This peculiarity allowed him to sign with another team still fighting in the postseason.
If the Packers beat the Rams this weekend, then Veldheer will have a chance to make NFL history in the NFC Championship Game. The 6-foot-8 tackle was originally a choice for the Raiders’ third round in 2010 and has bounced around the league for the past decade, making stops with the Arizona Cardinals, Denver Broncos, New England Patriots the Packers in 2019 and – – of course – the Colts.