Bengals nose tackle Josh Tupou will opt out of the 2020 season, sources tell Tom Pelissero of NFL.com (on Twitter). On the other side of the ball, offensive tackle Isaiah Prince has also chosen to sit out, per a club announcement.
Tupou appeared in all 16 of the Bengals’ games last year, including seven starts. This year, the Bengals were counting on him to once again serve as a key rotation piece behind defensive tackles Geno Atkins and D.J. Reader. They’re looking thin without him, especially after releasing Ryan Glasgow earlier this week. Tupou was set to earn $2.133MM in 2020. Now, that salary will be pushed into 2021 as his contract tolls.
Tupou and Prince are the first Bengals players to opt out of the season. In total, 30+ players have decided against playing, and many of those players are linemen. Given their body mass and the higher risk factor, that’s not a huge surprise. On the defensive side, Tupou joins a list that includes Eddie Goldman, Michael Pierce, Star Lotulelei, Kyle Peko, Eddie Vanderdoes, and John Atkins.
Going to have offensive and defensive linemen weighing 240 or less this year lmao.