Does Washington's COVID-19 Outbreak Threaten Player Safety?

With starters on the bench, backups and new players are ramping up to step in, but at what risk?

The Washington Football Team is right where we all thought it would be at the beginning of the year. In the middle of the playoff race. 

Maybe it hasn't happened the way we thought - with a record of 6-7 - but the team is right in the mix, with four games remaining. 

The chances of coming out with a win over the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 15 are starting to run thin, however, as the rise in positive COVID-19 cases continues for the burgundy and gold.

And this rise is starting to raise the question: With so many WFT players about to see a dramatic spike in reps, is player safety a concern? 

"I don't think so yet," head coach Ron Rivera said when asked if he was concerned about the game coming up on Sunday. "I think the guys that we've brought in, the guys that we've tried to check on are guys that were in shape."

Washington is down to the bottom of the barrel as far as players to roster for the upcoming contest. 

With 21 players on the Reserve/COVID-19 list, including three more on Thursday, the Washington Football Team may be forced to give significant snaps to players who weren't even in the NFL last week. 

Guys like defensive tackle, Akeem Spence, who signed with WFT on Thursday and hasn't played more than 30 defensive snaps in an NFL game in just over a year. 

"We try to check and see where guys were, what they were doing, how many workouts they had gone to, stuff like that," Rivera added. "That tells us and gives us an idea as to a guy's conditioning and shape."

Living with the situation they find themselves in, the Washington Football Team staff and players are doing what they can to make sure they come out competitive against the Philadelphia Eagles.

Which is good. Because the season depends on it.