Cole Beasley Placed on Bills' Reserve/COVID-19 List Ahead of Week 16 vs. Patriots

The Buffalo Bills placed wide receiver Cole Beasley on the reserve/COVID-19 list.

Beasley is second on the team in receptions (76) and receiving yards (640). Should he miss Sunday's game, his absence will be felt in Buffalo's passing attack against the New England Patriots.

The 32-year-old garnered attention ahead of the 2021 season when he indicated he wouldn't receive the COVID-19 vaccine.

"I will be outside doing what I do," he wrote in a statement on social media in June. "I'll be out in public. If your scared of me then steer clear, or get vaccinated. ... I may die of covid, but I'd rather die actually living."

Beasley said in July he wasn't "anti- or pro-vax" but "pro-choice" instead.

The NFL hasn't been immune to the surge of positive COVID-19 cases due to the spread of the omicron variant. Forty-seven players landed on the reserve/COVID-19 list Monday, the most ever in a single day for the league.

In response, the NFL and NFL Players Association agreed to a change in the protocols that allows vaccinated players to return more quickly following a positive test.

The rules remain the same for unvaccinated players, however. If he tested positive and didn't receive the vaccine, then Beasley would have to stay away from the Bills facility for at least 10 days.