The Washington Football Team has activated defensive end Montez Sweat and offensive tackle Sam Cosmi ahead of its Week 15 game against the Philadelphia Eagles.
Additionally, Washington has also activated defensive tackle Matt Ioannidis off the Reserve/COVID-19 list and added Brandon Scherff to the list.
Sweat, who has missed the last five games with a jaw injury and being on the COVID-19 list himself, returns to a defensive front that has already been bolstered with Jonathan Allen, Casey Toohill and James Smith-Williams returning to the active roster. Sweat's activation also reunites the team's most productive pass-rushers; he and Allen have combined for 11.5 sacks this season.
"It was evident today in watching him move around that he kept himself in pretty good shape," head coach Ron Rivera said Dec. 18. "He handled practice very well. He really did. So, it's exciting to watch him run around and being Montez again. It'll spill over to the guys around him, I believe because he's a high energy, high impact guy."
Having Sweat back will give the Eagles, who are among the top teams in terms of sacks allowed, another player to account for while protecting their quarterbacks. While backup Gardner Minshew started against the New York Jets and has gotten first team reps in practice, Jalen Hurts has been listed as a full participant on Philadelphia's injury report since Friday.
With Taylor Heinicke and Kyle Allen still on the COVID-19 list, Washington has not announced who will be under center for the team Tuesday night, but it will have its standout rookie right tackle back in the lineup to protect him. Cosmi has the third-highest pass-blocking grade among rookie tackles from Pro Football Focus and the 11th-best run-blocking grade among all tackles.
In addition to Washington bringing back multiple players, the team has also announced that multiple coaches will miss Tuesday's game due to COVID-19 protocols. The list includes:
- Defensive line coach Sam Mills III. He will be replaced on gameday by Assistant Defensive Line Coach Jeff Zgonina.
- Wide Receivers Coach Drew Terrell. He will be replaced by Senior Offensive Assistant Jim Hostler.
- Running Backs Coach Randy Jordan. He will be replaced on gameday by Assistant Running Backs Coach Jennifer King.
- Defensive Backs Coach Chris Harris. He will be replaced on gameday by Assistant Defensive Backs Coach Richard Rodgers.
- Assistant Defensive Backs/Nickel Coach Brent Vieselmeyer as well as defensive quality control coach Vincent Rivera and defensive coaching intern Christian Garcia.
