Packers' Jared Veldheer Placed on COVID-19 List 1 Day After Signing Contract

The Green Bay Packers signed veteran offensive tackle Jared Veldheer on Tuesday, ostensibly to replace star left tackle David Bakhtiari, lost late in the season with a torn ACL.

But the team announced Wednesday that Veldheer has been placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list ahead of the team's divisional-round matchup with the Los Angeles Rams on Saturday.

Veldheer, 33, has had a fascinating few weeks.

He was elevated from the Indianapolis Colts practice squad and started for the team in its 27-24 loss to the Buffalo Bills in the Wild Card Round. Because he hadn't been signed to the 53-man roster, he was eligible to sign and play for the Packers, and had he played Saturday, he would have become the first player in NFL history to start two games for two separate teams in the same postseason.

Veldheer started for the Packers in last postseason's playoff win over the Seattle Seahawks after Bryan Bulaga missed the game because of an illness. He had been retired before the Packers signed him in November 2019.

The issue for Green Bay is that another tackle, Rick Wagner, has been battling a knee injury. The Packers will find themselves in a tough spot if Wagner also can't play Saturday. It was unclear if Veldheer would have started for the team or served as depth, but head coach Matt LaFleur was happy with his performance in Tuesday's practice.

"I thought he did a nice job yesterday. But it was primarily walk-through so it was really tough to evaluate that in one walk-through setting," he told reporters. "So we'll play it day by day and see where he's at."