Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo are reporting that Washington QB Taylor Heinicke has tested positive for COVID-19 and is going on the reserve list.
Albert Breer adds that Washington RB Wendell Smallwood and DE Daniel Wise also tested positive.
Meanwhile, Adam Schefter reports that Washington is signing QB Garrett Gilbert off of the Patriots’ practice squad.
As of now, Kyle Shurmur is in line to start for Washington against the Eagles, given that Heinicke and Kyle Allen are both on the COVID-19 list.
Heinicke, 28, wound up signing on with the Vikings as an undrafted free agent out of Old Dominion back in 2015. He managed to make the 53-man roster during his rookie season but wasn’t active for a single game.
The Vikings elected to waive Heinicke with an injury designation coming out of the preseason in 2017 before eventually cutting him loose with an injury settlement.
Heinicke had brief stints with the Patriots and Texans before being claimed by the Panthers. Carolina released him coming out of the preseason in 2019 and he signed on to Washington’s practice squad late in 2020. He signed a two-year, $8.75 million extension with Washington this offseason.
In 2021, Heinicke has appeared in 13 games for Washington and completed 66.5 percent of his passes for 2,931 yards, 19 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. He has also rushed for 297 yards and one touchdown.
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