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The New Orleans Saints are currently scheduled for their usual four-game preseason series, but a report from NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero suggests decision-makers at the league offices and the NFL Players Association could agree on an abbreviated exhibition slate.
Threat of the novel coronavirus pandemic has already caused NFL teams to work from home and canceled joint practices between squads, and further adjustments should be expected as the summer draws on. While the league issued guidelines for individual team facilities to reopen, the Saints plan to wait it out until training camp.
NFL preseason games are lightly attended even in normal years, so limiting the number of contests — and cross-country travel — between teams might result in a lighter loss of revenue than regular season changes. It would also buy more time for team medical staff to develop gameday protocols and precautions.
Right now, the Saints are scheduled to visit the Los Angeles Rams and Pittsburgh Steelers (in a nationally-broadcast game) in the first two weeks of the preseason, with a home stand against the Houston Texans and Miami Dolphins during the final two weeks. There’s quite a bit of internal debate and haggling between NFL ownership and the players union before any changes are made, but this is very much a situation to monitor in the weeks ahead.
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