Explaining Jets’ roster logistics with Flacco, White on COVID-19 list

The Jets’ quarterback room took another twist Tuesday, as Joe Flacco and Mike White were placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list.

Both were immediately ruled out for Week 12 after White tested positive for the virus. Flacco is an unvaccinated close contact.

Zach Wilson was named the Week 12 starter independent of the COVID-19 news. He was medically cleared Monday night after missing the previous four games with a knee injury.

Josh Johnson will be protected and likely promoted from the practice squad for the third time to back up Wilson, per The AP’s Dennis Waszak Jr. Normally, practice squad players would need to be signed to the 53-man roster if they’ve been elevated twice, but the Jets can promote Johnson again since this is a COVID-19 situation, according to Waszak Jr.

As for Flacco and White, their return timetable is unclear. It depends on White’s vaccination status, which is currently unknown, and Flacco’s test results following his mandatory five-day isolation period, per the NFL’s 2021 COVID-19 protocols.

Because White tested positive, his return is more difficult than Flacco’s, especially if White is unvaccinated.

If White is vaccinated and asymptomatic, he’ll need two negative COVID-19 tests at least 24 hours apart to return to the team. Denzel Mims, who is vaccinated, hasn’t played the past two weeks because he failed to meet the two conditions necessary to return.

If White is unvaccinated, he will automatically be isolated from the team for 10 days before he can be allowed back, and only if he’s asymptomatic. In that case, the earliest he could return would be Friday, Dec. 3.

Flacco is unvaccinated, but since he is only designated as a close contact of White’s, he is only subject to a five-day quarantine period. This is why he was immediately ruled out after being placed on the list. He’ll continue to be tested daily once he returns from isolation but could be active for Week 13 if he clears the protocols.

The Jets will likely add a third quarterback to the roster or the practice squad in case injury befalls Wilson or Johnson while Flacco and White are out.