Colby Gossett Opts Out, Second Guard For Browns

Cleveland Browns guard Colby Gossett has opted out of the 2020 season, as first reported by Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal. He is now the second guard to opt out for the Browns after Drew Forbes opted out last week. Once a position of relative strength, the interior offensive line for the Browns has thinned out after they've lost a pair of guards over concerns related to COVID-19.

#Browns guard Colby Gossett has decided to opt out of 2020 season, a league source confirmed
— Nate Ulrich (@ByNateUlrich) August 5, 2020

Joel Bitonio and Wyatt Teller are the starters. Forbes may have competed with Teller for the right guard job. Now, they have to find someone who can step in for the Browns in case of injury.

Three of the options on the current roster are listed at center. Evan Brown, Willie Wright and Nick Harris have all played some guard, with Harris the most experience, having played two seasons for the Washington Huskies. He's undersized and a rookie who is supposed to be learning center, so it's hardly ideal.

The Browns are likely to be looking to add some free agent help, but there just aren't too many viable offensive linemen walking around unsigned at this point. A position group that is always short on supply, offensive line coach Bill Callahan is going to have to try to his best to make one.

The deadline for opting out is Thursday. It's possible the Browns could still lose more players to opting out, which is a total that stands at four currently. Three of them are linemen with Andrew Billings playing nose.

Many of the players opting out this season are linemen who are seemingly at a higher risk for complications with COVID-19 given their size. Some of the issues that can arise include heart and lung issues, which are more dangerous to players that are heavier.