The Cowboys had been scheduled to play five preseason games. With the scrapping of the Hall of Fame Game, that number was cut to four. Then coronavirus concerns had the league talking about just two preseason games per club. A report on Monday had the league dropping its summer schedule to just one game for each team.
And then there were none.
With the NFLPA holding strong to their stance that meaningless exhibition games simply put players at added risk of exposure and reduced acclimation time after an offseason of no work whatsoever, the league has reportedly offered a schedule that includes zero preseason games for 2020.
NFL offered the NFLPA today to play zero preseason games this summer, per source.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) July 20, 2020
“The NFLPA has not yet informed the league whether it will accept the proposal,” as per ESPN.
The Cowboys had been scheduled to kick off the 2020 preseason in Canton, Ohio against the Steelers. Week 1’s game was to be an away meeting with the Chargers. Weeks 2 and 3 were highly-anticipated (for the preseason) home games against AFC powerhouses Baltimore and Kansas City, respectively. Week 4’s preseason finale was to be the annual Governor’s Cup matchup with the Texans.
Killing the preseason in hopes that the 2020 regular schedule might still play out in full is a no-brainer. But it’s all but a last-ditch effort. Now there is nothing else that’s superfluous, nothing left that can be sacrificed. The next thing that COVID-19 claims from the NFL, its players, and its fans will be real games that would have counted.
[vertical-gallery id=650630]
[vertical-gallery id=646597]
[vertical-gallery id=646270]
[lawrence-newsletter]