Washington DL Caleb Brantley opts out of 2020 NFL season

The first wave of NFL player opt-outs has hit for the Washington Football Team. Defensive lineman Caleb Brantley will not be playing in 2020.

Last week, the NFL and NFLPA officially agreed on terms related to the handling of the COVID-19 pandemic in conjunction with the 2020 NFL season. There were numerous changes made to normal league protocols, including rosters being condensed to 80 by mid-August at the latest, and also, the two sides put an opt-out agreement in place.

Essentially, players were free to opt out of the 2020 NFL season if they didn’t want to play amid the pandemic. If they have no medical reason for deciding not to play (low-risk candidates), they are compensated with $150,000 for the season and their contract tolls (i.e. it’s pushed out a year; a player on a one-year deal in 2020 will be on that same contract in 2021).

If players have a medical reason they aren’t playing (high-risk candidates), they receive $350,000 for the season and their contract will toll as well, per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.

As a result of these protocols, a handful of players have opted out of the NFL season as of Monday. And according to Pelissero, one of them is Caleb Brantley of the Washington Football Team, who falls under the “high risk” category.

It’s unclear exactly what condition makes Brantley a high-risk opt out, but some of the conditions listed as high-risk in Pelissero’s report include moderate-to-severe asthma, sickle cell disease, and Type 2 diabetes.

Brantley, a former sixth-round draft pick by the Cleveland Browns, was entering his fourth NFL season and third in Washington. He was expected to play a depth role along the defensive line but now, he will attempt to lock down a spot in the new 4-3 defense in 2020.

Last season, Brantley played in just one game for Washington as he dealt with the lingering effects of a foot injury. In 2018, he appeared in seven games and logged one tackle. With the Browns as a rookie, he had two sacks.

Brantley’s loss won’t significantly impact Washington ahead of the 2020 campaign. He does still have loads of potential — he’s just 25 — but he was set to be the fifth defensive tackle on the roster behind Jonathan Allen, Daron Payne, Matt Ioannidis, and Tim Settle. He would’ve been great to have as depth in case of an injury, but ultimately, he wouldn’t have cracked that talented rotation too often. The team is still built to withstand injuries on the defensive front with or without Brantley.

Moving forward, Brantley will shift his focus to making the Washington squad in 2021. And he should have a chance to do that.

For Washington, Brantley’s departure will presumably open up a spot on the team’s 53-man roster. Guys like Ryan Bee, James Smith-Williams, and Jordan Brailford now have an increased chance of making the squad, but the extra spot could be used on another offensive lineman or quarterback Alex Smith, if healthy.

It will be interesting to see what Washington does with their roster in the wake of Brantley’s opt out. But they should be fine without him for the time being.