Jamaal Williams deemed high risk close contact, ruled OUT for Week 9

UPDATE: Jamaal Williams has been deemed a high risk close contact due to A.J. Dillon’s positive Covid-19 test and will NOT play in Week 9 against the 49ers. That leaves the Packers with Tyler Ervin and an injured Aaron Jones as the running backs on their 53-man roster.

The Green Bay Packers have placed running back A.J. Dillon on the Covid-19 injured reserve list, and now they face a question around Jamaal Williams. As part of the contact tracing required after a positive Covid-19 test, Williams and linebacker Kamal Martin have been deemed close contacts of Dillon, per Ian Rapoport.

The designation requires further investigation from the NFL. If the two players are deemed “high risk close contacts” Rapoport reported they would not be able to play on Thursday Night Football due to the quick turnaround time.

It’s too soon to say what will happen with Williams, but after him and Dillon, the Packers running back room includes an injured Aaron Jones and Tyler Ervin on the 53-man roster, and Dexter Williams on the practice squad. Jones has missed two straight games with a calf injury and was listed as limited on Monday’s estimated practice participation report. The Packers face some significant questions at the running back position as they prepare to face the San Francisco 49ers in Week 9.