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As things currently stand the Dallas Cowboys, along with every other NFL team, are scheduled to report to training camp at the end of this month. The “scheduled to” part of that is very important.
Obviously much of our immediate future is unknown due to the Covid-19 pandemic, and that has made its way into the National Football League. There is no Pro Football Hall of Fame Game for the Cowboys to play in, and just this past week the league cut the normal preseason in half as well. There are now only two exhibition contests left for NFL teams to play in before regular season action is set to begin.
It is possible, some would argue likely, that there are more changes coming to the NFL before things are finalized ahead of regular-season play. One potential alteration could be to the number of players that teams take to training camp and the preseason, but even what remains of the preseason could be altered as well.
It is possible that there is no preseason at all this season
The preseason is in many ways a process that must be carried out, but it is also very important for roster building. While the preseason might not be the most fundamental thing in terms of building a 55/53-man roster, it does have some some merit. This is why trimming it to two games this season will have an impact, but it’s possible the preseason might not happen at all. The NFLPA seems against any sort of preseason.
With the NFLPA still opposed to preseason games, one possible camp schedule the union has discussed:
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) July 3, 2020
3 days: medical/equipment
21 days: strength & conditioning
10 days: unpadded practice
14 days: practice (10 max/8 padded)
Then it’d be straight into Week 1.
On Thursday night’s NFLPA call, the union’s board of reps voted unanimously to recommend that the NFL play no preseason games this year. It’s unclear whether the league, which has already decided to cut the preseason from four games to two, will consider the recommendation.
— Dan Graziano (@DanGrazianoESPN) July 3, 2020
It is the NFLPA’s job to protect the game’s players and they clearly feel that having no preseason games is the best course of action for their group. Obviously preseason games bring in some revenue, even if they were to be held without any fans or with a limited amount, plus there are a number of logistical issues regarding travel and gameday operations that teams are going to have to get used to for this season in order to be as safe as possible. It makes sense to practice that, although it might not necessarily be the best idea.
The proposed plan that NFL network’s Tom Pelissero outlined is interesting to say the least. It seems well thought out and allows for the time needed throughout training camp so that staffs can finalize rosters. It remains to be seen what the league will do next.