Lane Johnson Talked About his Battle with COVID-19
Lane Johnson didn’t have a fever. It was the chills and body aches that led him to believe he might have the coronavirus.
He got tested and, sure enough, the test came back positive. That all happened after he had reported to camp in late July. Johnson returned to the team last week and is eager to put on the pads for the first time in a long time, with every NFL team now allowed to do so on Monday.
“Really the first two days I didn’t feel too good, but after that, it wasn’t all that bad,” said Johnson during a videoconference call on Sunday afternoon.
After that it came became a battle against boredom as Johnson embarked on the mandatory two-week self-quarantine. Netflix movies filled in the gap, with the “Tiger King” heavy in Johnson’s rotation, he said.
“People were in here in the building doing stuff, walkthroughs and all that, and I was sitting there in the house just feeling kind of stranded,” said Johnson, who joked it was linebacker Nathan Gerry who gave him the virus.
“I was fine till he showed up and came and worked out with me,” joked Johnson.
Gerry was also placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list with Johnson and offensive lineman Jordan Mailata late last month.
All three players have since been activated, though only Johnson has admitted to testing positive. Gerry and Mailata could have been placed on the list for being exposed to someone who had tested positive for the virus, not necessarily for having the virus.
Across the entire NFL, there were just 15 players on the reserve/COVID-19 list as of Sunday afternoon.
The low number is good for every team with phase three - the full pads portion - ready to move camps into high gear with the start of the NFL season less than a month away.
For the Eagles that means Johnson and Jason Peters will get a heavy dose of learning to play side-by-side as the right tackle and right guard. Peters will line up at right guard after an entire career spent at left tackle.
“He’s such a great athlete, so making the transition comes easier than most,” said Johnson about Peters. “We’re trying to get the reps in as much as we can right now in practice and trying to make up for lost ground. We didn’t really have a spring.
“A lot of stuff is different from guard to tackle, different assignments. Really, it’s just communication. In meetings, a lot of our stuff goes through (center Jason) Kelce, so JP is getting good communicating with Kelce, and we’re trying to pick up on the same page. As far as the meetings right now, we’re making up for lost ground.”
Before testing positive for the virus, Johnson put himself through a rigorous offseason strength program that has him at about 330 pounds, which, he said, is the heaviest he has ever been.
“I’m feeling strong,” he said. “We had a lot of time on our hands to work out, as far as guys coming and training. We had a few guys who came and trained with me. Really, that’s all we can do to stay in shape.
“A lot of the offseason was put up to us, to show up in shape. That’s part of being a professional. It’s your job title to show up in shape and be ready to roll. Everyone else in the league is going through the same stuff.”
Johnson said he believes the team that has best dealt with the adversity of a virtual offseason will be the team that does the best. And, of course, so will the next four weeks of preparation before the regular season begins on Sept. 13.
“When we get into training camp, it’s going to be a damn dogfight every day if I’m being honest,” said Johnson. “Really, the first day of pads doesn’t change anything for me. … The next two weeks we’re going to have lots of live scrimmages, trying to simulate the preseason. We’re trying to make up for lost time right now, so these next couple weeks will be big for us.”
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