In a usual offseason, NFL teams take 90 players to training camp and play four preseason games before trimming the roster down to 53 players.
This year’s offseason certainly hasn’t been normal.
Because of COVID-19, the league is planning to have two preseason games instead of the usual four. Teams are also considering taking fewer players to training camp than usual, according to a report from ESPN’s Adam Schefter:
One source said he believed it’s likely that teams will go to camp with 80-man rosters, and another source said it’s “definitely not 90.” A third league source said he has “heard lots of discussion about 75 players potentially instead of 90,” especially with the reduction in preseason games and teams not needing as many players for camp as normal.
That would be bad news for players on the fringe hoping to battle for a spot on the roster this summer. Little-known prospects have already had the odds stacked against them this year because of the coronavirus.
Small school prospects often aren’t invited to the NFL combine but they are able to make up for that by putting in a strong performance at their school’s pro day. Because of COVID-19, many schools didn’t have pro days this year.
If the coronavirus had happened in 2018, Phillip Lindsay might not have been on the Broncos’ radar without a strong pro day. There might be similar diamond in the rough prospects this year who could be cut from the team before training camp even starts.
