The deadline for NFL players to opt out of the 2020 season because of the COVID-19 pandemic passed nearly three weeks ago. Before that deadline, the Broncos cut defensive lineman Joel Heath.
Under special conditions, some cut players can be retroactively added to the opt-out list, according to Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com. If a player receives a high-risk diagnosis or has a family member die or get hospitalized with COVID-19, that player can opt out after the deadline.
One of those conditions must have applied to Heath because he was reinstated to Denver’s roster and then placed on the Reserve/Opt-Out list, according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero. Former Broncos cornerback Shakial Taylor, recently cut by the Giants, was also added to the list.
Heath was signed by Denver in March and cut four months later.
The Broncos now have three players on the opt-out list: right tackle Ja’Wuan James, nose tackle Kyle Peko and Heath. The league had 69 total opt outs this offseason.
