Crosby, Sternberger Land on COVID-19 List

GREEN BAY, Wis. – After going unscathed on Wednesday, the Green Bay Packers placed kicker Mason Crosby, tight end Jace Sternberger and defensive tackle Treyvon Hester on their reserve/COVID list on Thursday, according to the NFL transaction wire.

Their inclusion on the list – they join outside linebacker Greg Roberts – means they’ve either been stricken with COVID-19 or are quarantining after coming in close contact with someone who has the virus.

If the player tests positive but is asymptomatic, he can't return until 10 days have passed since the positive test or five days have passed and he has tested negative twice in a span of at least 24 hours during those five days. If the players tests positive and has symptoms, he can't return until 10 days have passed since symptoms first appeared and he's symptom-free for at least 72 hours.

The Packers re-signed Crosby with a three-year, $12.9 million before the start of free agency.

“Really happy to have him back,” general manager Brian Gutekunst said at the time. “Obviously, he’s been a 14-year pro now. Holds all his records. I think by the time he’s done with us – at least in our lifetime – it’ll be pretty hard for anybody to catch that. So, he’s a leader in our locker room. Just a really positive impact on our football team. So, glad to have him back.”

Crosby is coming off the best season of his career from an accuracy standpoint, his 22-of-24 on field goals equating to 91.7 percent – his first season of 90-plus percent. In fact, since his infamous five-miss game at Detroit in Week 5 of the 2018 season, Crosby has missed a total of five kicks in his last 29 games: 41-of-45 on field goals and 72-of-73 on extra points.

For the second consecutive year, Sternberger’s summer is off to a less-than-ideal start. Last year, he suffered a concussion during a joint practice with Houston before the first preseason game. That injury, and a subsequent ankle injury, made him a nonfactor for most of the season. However, this shouldn’t put him too far behind. Due to COVID and the restructure of training camps, the first padded practice can be no earlier than Aug. 17.

Perhaps due to Sternberger, the Packers added H-back/fullback John Lovett off waivers from Kansas City. An undrafted tight end in 2019, he spent his rookie year with the Chiefs on injured reserve. A quarterback at Princeton, he threw for 18 touchdowns and ran for 13 more as a senior. In three seasons, he rushed for 1,589 yards and 42 touchdowns, caught 51 passes for 553 yards and two scores, and threw for 2,509 yards and 31 touchdowns.

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