It’s already looking like the preseason in 2020 will be cut down. Currently it’s standing at two games, but the NFLPA want to wipe away the preseason altogether. And they have some pretty sound logic behind that.
There is, of course, the COVID-19 concerns that are still very serious and look more and more serious by the day as daily new cases across the US has surpassed 70K.
Outside of that, there is the concern that because of the players having had no offseason workouts, Organized Team Activities, or minicamps, they are wholly unprepared to be taking the field for a game of any kind as early is mid-August.
Training camp is still set to begin on July 28 as of now. That start will be accompanied by a ramp-up period to get players back into football shape which is crucial if they hope to avoid potentially serious injuries.
How long that ramp-up would be is something the NFL and the NFLPA is currently discussing. Even thought it seems pretty late in the game to still not have it nailed down.
NFLPA Director DeMaurice Smith along with NFLPA President JC Tretter spoke with the Pro Football Writers of America Friday to give them an update on where they stand. With that they gave their recommendations for the ramp up period as NBC’s Matt Maiocco laid out.
JC Tretter said the recommendation for ramp up to play football is:
-21 days of strength and conditioning.
-10 days of ramping up to non-padded work.
-14 days of contact acclimation with practices before playing a game.— Matt Maiocco (@MaioccoNBCS) July 17, 2020
Those numbers look very much like what the players would have in a normal offseason. Offseason workouts for 21 days, OTA’s for 10 days, and contact training camp practices for 14 days. For a total of 45 days, providing these days run concurrent with no days off in between.
It those recommendations were honored, it would eliminate the preseason entirely and have the first game being played as the season opener September 13. Again, that would also mean camp has to start on-time as well, which is still uncertain because it requires the NFL and NFLPA tot come to an agreement of some kind beforehand on a myriad of issues including but not limited to complicated COVID-19 protocols.
Some believe the two sides will compromise and settle for one preseason game. With the first and fourth preseason games said to be gone already, it seems most likely the third preseason game would be the one that is played. If that’s the case, the Raiders would play at home in the new Allegiant Stadium against the Cardinals on August 27 — 30 days after the first camp practice. So, not the 45-day timeline the NFLPA would want, but some ramp-up time none the less. Much is still to be decided.