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On Thursday, we officially learned who was in and who was out for the 2020 NFL season. The NFL and NFLPA finalized a firm deadline of 4 p.m. ET for all players to give their teams written notice if they wanted to opt out of the season due to concerns regarding the coronavirus. Players will only have the opportunity to opt out after the deadline if "a close family member gets seriously sick with COVID or if they themselves are newly diagnosed with a high-risk condition."The deadline came and went without any big names such as or choosing to sit out, but several teams did lose important players for this upcoming season. There were a few clubs that finished Thursday unscathed, however, as the , the , the and the saw zero of their players submit paperwork to forgo the 2020 season. You can .Some teams saw more opt-outs than others, and there is plenty to examine when it comes to this unprecedented offseason event. Let's take a look at some of the key takeaways from the NFL's opt-out period.John Breech and Ryan Wilson join host Will Brinson on the Pick Six Podcast to break down who'll be most impacted by opt-outs and more; listen below andfor daily NFL goodne s.' eight-pack of opt-outsIf there was one team that was hit hard by opt-outs, it was the Patriots. A grand total of eight players opted out before the deadline:,,,,,,and. As you can see, there are plenty of notable names that will not be suiting up for New England this season, but head coach Bill Belichick is."Well, I respect all of them. I respect all of the players on our team," he said of his players opting out. "We all have to make decisions and I talked to those guys and they explained their situations. They had to make a decision that was best for them and I totally respect and support it 100%."The Patriots are entering a season of transition on offense after Tom Brady took his talents to Tampa, and now they'll have to also overcome multiple key lo ses on defense while also being the team dealing with the most overall opt-outs in the league.lose two key offensive piecesThe reigning Super Bowl champions took former TCU offensive linemanLucas Niangwith their third-round pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, but he announced on Thursday that he would forgo his rookie season due to the coronavirus. He joins starting guard Laurent Duvernay-Tardif, who was the first player to opt out when the window opened. Both Duvernay-Tardif and a rookie who could have helped weather his lo s give the Chiefs questions to answer on the offensive line.The Chiefs lost an even bigger piece last week, however, when running backsaid he would pa s on playing. Williamsthat his mother was recently diagnosed with Stage 4 cancer. (The CDC lists cancer asof severe COVID-19 illne s.) Williams alsoat home.Williams' absence has big implications on the Chiefs' offense, not to mention in. Without Williams on the RB depth chart, first-round pickis likely to see his stock rise, po sibly into the first round of drafts. CBS Sports' Dave Richard, in fact, believes Edwards-Helaire compares favorably to former Chiefs standoutand, making him a potential lock for the first round of most fantasy drafts.lose Star but not starThe Bills knew early on they were losing defensive linemanto the Lou Gehrig Jersey opt-out option, but they were in danger of losing another star on the defensive side of the ball as well. Cornerbackwas considering opting out, and opened up about his proce s in making his decision on social media. He alsohe received from fans, revealing that his girlfriend's grandfather died due to COVID-19. Fortunately for the team's hopes in 2020, he did not inform the Bills that he would opt out, and will indeed suit up for Buffalo.The Pro Bowl corner recorded 58 combined tackles, 17 pa ses defensed, six interceptions and two forced fumbles in 2019, and was a big reason the Bills had one of the top defenses in the league. Withno longer in the AFC East, the division appears to be Buffalo's, but they will certainly need White if they want to make a postseason run.While Lotulelei is a big lo s for Buffalo, the team has done a lot to build out their depth on the defensive line this offseason, and can still feature a quality defensive tackle rotation headlined by second-year player Ed Oliver.D again without MosleyC.J. Mosley was arguably the biggest name to opt out of the 2020 season. The four-time Pro Bowler left thelast offseason to sign with the Jets on a five-year, $85 million deal, but his first season in New York did not go smoothly.During the season opener against the Bills, Mosley injured his groin. It was an injury that he struggled to get over, as he played in just two games and recorded nine combined tackles, two pa ses defensed and one interception which he returned for a touchdown before being placed on injured reserve. The Jets had hoped he would be ready to rebound in a big way during the second year of his deal, but he is pa sing on that chance due to the coronavirus.Mosley's absence will mean the Jets have to rely on the health of Avery Williamson, who is almost a year removed from a torn ACL, as the centerpiece of their defense, which also lost All-Pro safety Jamal Adams in a trade with the Seahawks. Defensive coordinator Gregg Williams certainly has his work cut out for him.again dealing with questions at OL, CBThe Giants are counting on growth from young quarterbackin 2020 under new coach Joe Judge, but he will now. Left tackle, who was arguably entering a make-or-break year on a big contract,that he's decided to opt out of the upcoming NFL season over family health concerns.The absence of their Plan A at left tackle means the team is relying more than expected on No. 4 overall pick Andrew Thomas, who will slot right in at left tackle in place of Solder. Not only will he need to hold down that spot to give Jones a chance to thrive in Year 2, but the right tackle spot now becomes a competition between players like Cameron Fleming, Nick Gates and 2020 third-round pick Matt Peart.Solder's decision was followed by cornerback, who announced just a week later he would be opting out as well. Beal looked to have a real shot at kicking off the season as a starter with Deandre Baker having been placed on the commi sioner's exempt list, but the third-year cornerback has now decided to stay away from the team until 2021. He appeared in six games for the Giants last year, and recorded 26 tackles and one pa s breakup.With Beal and po sibly Baker out of the picture for 2020, the Giants will look for answers on the corner depth chart underneath James Bradberrry with a group that currently includes Grant Haley, Montre Hartage, Corey Ballentine and 2020 fourth-round pick Darnay Holmes. It's also po sible the team could use Julian Love as a slot corner option if 2020 second-round pick Xavier McKinney establishes himself as a starting-caliber safety in a hurry.' receiver depth takes a hitOne of the Eagles' main objectives this offseason was to beef up their wide receiving corps, and one of the more underrated moves they made was trading for formerwideoutduring the draft. The speedy wideout was going to be a nice addition to Philly's depth out wide, but he announced last week that he decided to opt out to remain with his family in the coming months.With Goodwin out for 2020 and oft-injured Alshon Jeffery starting the summer on the PUP list, the Eagles again find themselves behind the 8-ball at the receiver position one year after being forced to sign receivers off the street just to field a team. The good news is that the team attacked that deficiency in the draft, bringing aboard three intriguing prospects in Jalen Reagor, John Hightower and Quez Watkins. Expect to hear two or maybe even all three of those names plenty this year.There's still plenty to be excited about when it comes to the Eagles' new receivers, but the offensive would have been better s Gerrit Cole Jersey |
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