Lane Johnson wants to play, won’t opt out

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Buccaneers left tackle Donovan Smith said out loud Friday what many NFL players surely are considering: Is it worth it?

Is it worth putting yourself and your family at risk in the middle of a pandemic by playing a contact sport?

With training camp for full rosters set to begin July 28, the NFL has not addressed an opt out with players. Mike Leake, Ryan Zimmerman, David Price and Felix Hernandez are among the Major League Baseball players who won’t play this season, and the NBA has seen some dropouts, too.

It stands to reason that some NFL players will back out of the season.

Eagles right tackle Lane Johnson said Friday at his Masterminds Summit that he wants to play, and he will play.

“I want to play, if they play,” Johnson said, via video from Mark Berman of FOX 26. “Ultimately, I think safety’s first. I think a lot of it goes back to families. You know the players are playing against each other, but ultimately, we have to go back and see our families, so I think that’s kind of at the top of the priority list. So safety’s first and really the important date for us is July 28, but we’re all just kind of sitting back and playing it by ear. But I think in the next couple of weeks we’ll have some more answers.”

Johnson acknowledged some of the eyebrows raised by the offensive linemen’s clinic continuing in Frisco, Texas, this weekend despite the NFLPA’s recommendation that players not workout together.

He said he will do what he can to stay safe, while assuming the risk involved.

“I’ve been so bored,” Johnson said. “I mean, I’m ready to do something. Ultimately, you’ve got to prioritize things in life and really health and safety comes first. I mean, even coming into here, we got a little heat, but I think coming in and having your temperature checked — we have a doctor here who’s going to give testing to everybody — so trying to take the most precautions that we can.”