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Armon Watts Added to Reserve/COVID-19 List, Justin Jefferson and Brian Cole II Activated

Two Minnesota Vikings players come off of the COVID list, but a new one goes on it.
Will Ragatz|
Armon Watts Added to Reserve/COVID-19 List, Justin Jefferson and Brian Cole II Activated
Armon Watts Added to Reserve/COVID-19 List, Justin Jefferson and Brian Cole II Activated

Defensive tackle Armon Watts has been added to the Reserve/COVID-19 list, the Vikings announced on Tuesday. Rookies Justin Jefferson and Brian Cole II, who were among the first wave of Vikings players added to list, have been activated off of it.

Watts becomes the ninth Viking to go onto the newly-created COVID list, which is for players who have either tested positive OR been in close contact with someone who has tested positive.

Five of the previous eight players to go onto the list – Jefferson, Cole, Blake Brandel, Ifeadi Odenigbo, and Anthony Barr – have since been activated from it. Watts joins Cameron Smith, Oli Udoh, and Tyler Higby as the Vikings' four current players on the list.

Watts, a sixth-round pick out of Arkansas in 2019, is expected to potentially play a large role for the Vikings this season. With nose tackle Michael Pierce having opted out, Watts could compete for snaps at both nose tackle and three-technique. He was impressive down the stretch in his rookie season.

Being activated means Jefferson and Cole get to join their teammates at training camp for the first time. Jefferson, the Vikings' first selection of this year's draft, is the favorite to start as the team's No. 2 wide receiver. The LSU product was happy to finally be cleared for activities at TCO Performance Center.

Cole was the team's final pick in the draft. The Vikings selected the former Mississippi State safety with the 249th overall pick.

On Monday, the Vikings activated two players from the COVID list and had to make two corresponding cuts to keep the active roster at 80 players.

No new cuts are required on Tuesday. Defensive tackle P.J. Hall failed his physical after being acquired from the Raiders, so that created one roster spot, and Watts being placed on the list created the other one.

With the Hall trade falling through and Watts going onto the list, the Vikings have just six active defensive tackles: Jaleel Johnson, Shamar Stephen, Jalyn Holmes, Hercules Mata'afa, James Lynch, and David Moa.

Check out all of our Vikings 2020 season preview content right here.

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Will Ragatz
WILL RAGATZ

Will Ragatz is a senior writer for Vikings On SI, who also covers the Twins, Timberwolves, Gophers, and other Minnesota teams. He is a credentialed Minnesota Vikings beat reporter, covering the team extensively at practices, games and throughout the NFL draft and free agency period. Ragatz attended Northwestern University, where he studied at the prestigious Medill School of Journalism. During his time as a student, he covered Northwestern Wildcats football and basketball for SB Nation’s Inside NU, eventually serving as co-editor-in-chief in his junior year. In the fall of 2018, Will interned in Sports Illustrated’s newsroom in New York City, where he wrote articles on Major League Baseball, college football, and college basketball for SI.com.

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