The NFL had 37 players test positive for COVID-19 on Monday. Mario Edwards Jr. was one of them.
The Bears put the defensive lineman on the reserve/COVID-19 list Monday. Edwards is unvaccinated, meaning that he must sit for 10 days — and miss Monday night’s game against the Vikings.
More players tested positive Monday than tested positive between Nov. 14-27. According to NFL test result and vaccination data, 29 players tested positive during that two-week span.
The Bears were one of five teams put in enhanced league protocols, which requires daily testing and masking for all players, regardless of vaccination status, per ESPN. Teams must distance players during meetings and meals.
Edwards played 19 snaps Sunday night. He has 1 ½ sacks this season, all in Week against the Browns. Edwards joins offensive tackle Elijah Wilkinson, who is also unvaccinated, on the list. Wilkinson was put on the list Nov. 26 and has yet to return to the active roster.
The NFL sent a memo to all teams late Monday requiring all Tier 1 and 2 personnel members — players, coaches and staffers — to receive a booster vaccine by Dec. 27.
As of Dec. 2, 94.4 percent of all NFL players — and nearly 100 percent of coaches and staff members — were vaccinated.
