It seems that every year the topics of shortening the NFL preseason in favor of a longer regular season comes up. But with a pending work stoppage coming in 2020 while the league and the players try to hammer out a new CBA, this is going to be front and center for some time. This got us thinking about what a two-game preseason and 18-game preseason would mean for every team including the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Here are three potential pitfalls of these types of changes.
Injuries
Injuries are an inevitability in the NFL and often times the season is simply a war of attrition. Adding two more games that matter without allowed for a larger roster is just begging for more players to be hurt. This could be especially true early in the season when less time to get players into game condition.
Delayed player development
Having two fewer preseason games and two fewer weeks before final cuts only makes the job of coaches harder and slowed down the development of young guys, especially rookies. Those last two games are often the time when young guys shine and earn those roster spots.
Diminished product on the field
Circling back around to the point about injuries, savvy NFL players understand how to pace themselves to avoid injury. The first two games of the season could end up looking more like preseason in terms of effort if guys want to be sure they are still able to go late in the season when it likely matters more.
