QB Wentz joins Colts’ COVID list
Carson Wentz’s big week was cut short Monday when the Colts put three starters including their top quarterback on the reserve/COVID-19 list.
Wentz, center Ryan Kelly and receiver Zach Pascal join two-time Pro Bowl left tackle Eric Fisher on the sideline because of health and safety protocols. Fisher tested positive for the virus last week.
Three-time All-Pro Quenton Nelson was activated Monday after multiple negative tests. Nelson was deemed a close contact to Fisher.
Coach Frank Reich planned to use this week to test Wentz and Nelson, who both had foot surgery to remove a bone fragment. Both did limited work three straight days last week and were cleared for full action this week.
Pascal has been the Colts most consistent receiver the last two seasons when they were hit hard by injuries.
Fisher isn’t expected to play until late September or early October because he’s still recovering from the torn Achilles tendon he suffered in last season’s AFC championship game.
It’s unclear whether Kelly, Pascal or Wentz tested positive or were close contacts to someone who did.
The loss of Wentz is the toughest blow because of his limited amount of work with his new teammates. Reich remains hopeful Wentz, who was acquired from the Eagles in a March trade, will start the Sept. 12 season opener against the Seahawks. If he can’t, second-year quarterback Jacob Eason would likely make his NFL debut.
COVID-19 has been a concern for the Colts, who have consistently ranked near the bottom of the league in vaccination rates. Reich’s most recent update was that about 75% of players had been vaccinated.
Reich missed the first week of camp following a positive test despite being vaccinated. Four players — corners T.J. Carrie and Xavier Rhodes, defensive lineman Al-Quadin Muhammad and offensive lineman Julie’n Davenport — all landed on the COVID-19 list during the first week of camp.
49ers coach Kyle Shanahan announced that rookie QB Trey Lance, the No. 3 overall pick in the draft, will miss about a week after suffering a “small chip fracture” in his right thumb after jamming it into an opponent’s helmet during Sunday’s preseason game against the Raiders.
College football: Miami S Avantae Williams is back on the roster following the dropping of battery charges, though the Hurricanes say the second-year freshman will not make his on-field debut until the second half of the season at the earliest.
Hockey: Alex Carpenter and Abbey Murphy scored in the second period, and the U.S. beat Finland 3-0 to advance to Tuesday’s final of the women’s world championship in Calgary, Alberta. The five-time defending champion will play the winner of the other semifinal between Canada and Switzerland, which ended too late for this edition.
Soccer: Negotiations between Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid are at a standstill over the potential transfer of Kylian Mbappe, ESPN reported. Madrid had offered PSG $212 million on Thursday for the 22-year-old forward’s transfer, an improvement on a initial $188 million bid from earlier that week.