COVID is running rampant through the NFL, and teams are scrambling to find available players

• COVID-19 cases are surging in the NFL.
• The Browns and Washington have both added quarterbacks who have never played with them.

As COVID-19 cases surge in the NFL, teams are scrambling to find available players for Week 15.

The Washington Football Team has been hit especially hard. On Friday, Washington added starting quarterback Taylor Heinecke to the reserve/COVID-19 list, which now consists of over 20 players, including 12 probable starters, according to ESPN.

With Heinecke joining backup quarterback Brandon Allen on the list, Washington signed Garrett Gilbert to the roster. Washington has Gilbert, Kyle Shurmur, and Jordan Ta'amu available for Sunday — only Gilbert has ever attempted a pass (44) in a regular-season NFL game.

Teams don't yet know who will be available to play

On Friday, Washington head coach Ron Rivera had expressed hope that the team would get a few players currently on the reserve list back for the game. However, he also said that moving the game back could help the team.

The Cleveland Browns are in a similar position. On Thursday, backup quarterback Case Keenum joined starter Baker Mayfield on the reserve/COVID-19 list, bringing the Browns' total to about 20, according to ESPN.

The Browns signed quarterback Nick Mullens on Thursday and Friday added Kyle Lauletta, who spent training camp in Cleveland before being cut. Neither player has attempted a pass in a regular-season game as a member of the Browns.

Cleveland is also without their top three safeties and three of their top five cornerbacks.

The Los Angeles Rams haven't had to find replacement quarterbacks, but they have had to place top-end players like Jalen Ramsey, Odell Beckham Jr., and Von Miller on the reserve/COVID-19 last, bringing their total 25, according to ESPN.

NFL teams dress 48 players on game days, meaning the above teams will have to be active in signing players or calling up practice squad players.

As The Athletic's Lindsey Jones noted, there is risk in teams bringing so many new players aboard with such little practice and training time with teams.

The outbreak has led to new rules

Amid calls from the players and players union to postpone games, the NFL and NFLPA on Thursday agreed to new COVID-19 protocols, including more mask-wearing, social distancing, virtual meetings, and more. The Rams, Browns, and Washington will all be subjected to increased testing.

However, the NFL also made it easier for players who have tested positive to return to the field, according to ESPN. Whereas vaccinated players previously had to have two negative tests within 24 hours, new protocols measure "cycle threshold," which determines whether a player is still contagious.

"Finally, and based on expert advice, we will adjust the return-to-participation requirements for those who have recovered from COVID-19," the NFL said in a statement on Thursday. 'All of these changes are grounded in our data and science-backed approach, with safety our number-one goal for the entire NFL community."