Vikings Place Riley Reiff on Reserve/COVID-19 List

This could open the door for Ezra Cleveland or Rashod Hill to play left tackle on Sunday if Reiff can't go.

The Vikings have placed starting left tackle Riley Reiff on the Reserve/COVID-19 list, the team announced on Wednesday. That means he either tested positive for the coronavirus or was in close contact with someone who has.

Throughout this unique season, the Vikings have had players who went on the COVID list mid-week but were cleared within a few days and still able to play that Sunday. However, they've also had players (including Adam Thielen in Week 12) who have had to miss a game while on the reserve list. Reiff's status for Sunday's game against his old team, the Lions, is now up in the air.

It's unclear if the fact that this Week 17 game is essentially meaningless could factor into whether or not Reiff plays. He is a veteran who could potentially be a cap casualty this offseason, so perhaps the Vikings want to get a look at a younger player in live game action this week.

If Reiff can't go, the Vikings' primary backup would be Rashod Hill. But given the meaningless nature of this game, would they consider starting rookie Ezra Cleveland at left tackle? Cleveland was a left tackle at Boise State and was drafted as such, but moved to right guard as a rookie in order to see the field. He still likely projects better at tackle than guard due to his length, quickness, and lack of elite strength.

If the Vikings wanted to go with a full youth movement on the offensive line, they could go with something like this: Cleveland at LT, Kyle Hinton at LG, Garrett Bradbury at C, Oli Udoh at RG, and Brian O'Neill at RT. Hinton is a seventh-round rookie who was just signed to the active roster this week, while Udoh is a 2019 sixth-round pick who made his first career start in last year's meaningless Week 17 game.

That doesn't necessarily seem like the Vikings' way of operating, though, particularly if they plan on starting Kirk Cousins and want to keep him upright. Mike Zimmer was asked on Wednesday if there were any starters he was planning on resting this week, and declined to answer.

There's also the matter of Reiff's contract incentives. He returned to the Vikings on a restructured deal this year after the team threatened to release him, and that new contract came with a couple of bonuses tied to playing time. He has already secured a $1 million bonus for playing at least 86 percent of the Vikings' offensive snaps, and can get another $1 million if he plays more than 93.75 percent of the snaps. 

Reiff has played all 1,002 offensive snaps this year. If he can't play in this game, and the Vikings run 67 or more plays, he would fall short of that percentage threshold. They average 66.8 plays per game, so it might be close. At that point, the team could still choose to give him the bonus, but it wouldn't be guaranteed.

Of course, there's still the possibility that Reiff is activated later this week and plays on Sunday.

Reiff has had a strong season in 2020, allowing just one sack and 20 pressures, both of which are the lowest of any member of the Vikings' current offensive line. Those are also both career-lows for Reiff in full seasons. Last year, he was charged with six sacks and 32 pressures. Just as impressively, Reiff has cut down his penalties from nine in 2019 to just one this season.

The Vikings and Lions play at Ford Field at noon central on Sunday.

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