Eagles’ Lane Johnson, Nate Gerry removed from Reserve/COVID-19 list and cleared for practice

Right tackle Lane Johnson and linebacker Nate Gerry were removed from the Eagles’ Reserve/COVID-19 list Tuesday afternoon and are cleared to return to practice.

Johnson and Gerry will return to training camp after spending 13 days on the list. Johnson confirmed in a written statement that he had tested positive for coronavirus on July 29, the same day he, Gerry, and reserve tackle Jordan Mailata were placed on the list. Mailata is now the lone Eagle on the list.

Johnson, 30, said he felt “strong and ready to go.” It’s unclear whether Gerry and Mailata caught the coronavirus or were exposed to someone who had it. Players on the list must test negative multiple times while in quarantine before returning to the team.

Johnson’s positive test came a few weeks after he hosted the OL Masterminds Summit, an annual clinic for about 50 NFL offensive linemen in Dallas. Johnson said he tested negative for the coronavirus before and after the event.

The three-time Pro Bowler missed the early phase of training camp in which players mostly did strength and conditioning work followed by an hour-long walkthrough. The team will ramp things up next Monday, when it will be allowed to hold padded practices. Johnson will have to build chemistry with Jason Peters, who is moving from left tackle to right guard, during this time. Peters is replacing Brandon Brooks, who tore his left Achilles in June and is expected to miss the season.

Gerry entering his fourth season, started 12 games last year, and his 78 tackles were second to departed safety Malcolm Jenkins’ 81. He’s expected to see an increased leadership role among the linebackers as the most experienced returning starter.

Mailata, a seventh-round pick in 2018 who has yet to play a regular-season game, is expected to compete for a backup role.