Lions center Russell Bodine opts out for 2020

According to Albert Breer from Sports Illustrated, the new COVID-19 reserve list additions include one player from the Detroit Lions on the first page:

Russell Bodine, the veteran former fourth-round pick by the Cincinnati Bengals, may not be a household name among Lions fans, but this is important for the depth of the interior offensive line. Bodine came to Detroit on a futures deal in December of last year with four seasons worth of starting experience from his time at Cincinnati plus a number of starts during the 2018 season at guard in Buffalo (where he signed after his rookie deal was up). Bodine was traded to the New England Patriots right before the start of the 2019 season for a sixth-round pick, but was cut just a week later by his new team; he did not sign with any other team until the Lions picked him up.

Given the difficulty of bringing in new players, this basically locks in Beau Benzschawel, who had been transitioning to the center position last year, as the backup to Frank Ragnow because the Lions have no other obvious alternatives on the roster. While Joe Dahl has gotten some looks at center in the past, he is most likely staying at guard. It has not been indicated whether this is a voluntary or high-risk opt-out, so we do not yet know the exact contract ramifications other than Bodine’s existing contract tolling to the 2021 season.