GREEN BAY, Wis. — The Green Bay Packers‘ game Thursday at the San Francisco 49ers remains on as scheduled, but they will be without two more players — running back Jamaal Williams and linebacker Kamal Martin — because of the league’s COVID-19 protocols.
An NFL source told ESPN on Tuesday that both Williams and Martin were deemed to be “high-risk close contacts” of running back AJ Dillon, who received a positive test result Monday.
“They will need to be isolated and remain away from the facility and the team for at least five days after the last contact with the infected individual, which was Sunday,” the source said. “They would be able to rejoin the team on Saturday. There is no change to the status of the Packers’ game on Thursday.”
It means the Packers will be without at least two of their top-three running backs (Williams and Dillon) against the 49ers. What’s more, No. 1 running back Aaron Jones has missed the past two games because of a calf injury.
The Packers officially placed both Williams and Martin on the reserve/COVID-19 list Tuesday afternoon.
Williams has combined for 216 total yards of offense in the last two games while Jones has been out. The only other running back on the active roster is Tyler Ervin, who has lined up extensively as a slot receiver this season. The Packers have one running back, Dexter Williams, on the practice squad. He was elevated to the roster for the Week 7 game against the Texans.
Martin, a rookie fifth-round pick, made his NFL debut against the Texans and has started the past two games at inside linebacker, where the Packers could get back Christian Kirksey from injured reserve this week.
The Packers are holding walk-through sessions with players Tuesday and Wednesday instead of regular practices, but that would be the norm on a short week.
“This is such a quick turnaround, to get ready for a Thursday game, so it’s the situation that we’re presented with, and we’re going to make the best of it,” Packers coach Matt LaFleur said Monday. “It’s not an excuse to go out there and play bad or anything like that. It is what it is, man. You’ve got to adapt and adjust. That’s just the circumstances we’re dealt with. It’s unfortunate, but it is what it is.”
