Tag: joint practices

No joint practices for Browns during training camp this year

No joint practices for Browns during training camp this year thanks to an NFL ruling that all teams must stay home for training camps

The NFL issued an edict on Tuesday that all 32 teams must hold training camp at their own facilities in their home city. That didn’t impact the Cleveland Browns, who host the training camp sessions every year at the practice field adjacent to the team headquarters in Berea.

One of the ramifications of the ruling, put in place to proactively handle the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, is that there will be no joint practice sessions this summer. None were officially scheduled, but at least a few days of joint practices between the Browns and another team were expected.

The Browns traveled to Indianapolis prior to their preseason game last year for a handful of joint practices. Some of those sessions got intense, a good test for both teams.

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NFL nixes joint practices between teams for 2020 training camps

NFL nixes joint practices between teams for 2020 training camps

In 2019, the Miami Dolphins took advantage of the opportunity to hold joint practices with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the preseason to provide the team with a fresh test. During the sweltering days of July and August, emotions can run high among teammates after weeks of hitting each other — so the chance to crack pads with someone else for a few days is a welcomed breath of fresh air. But in 2020, there will be no joint practices between teams; even though the Dolphins have already been tied to a potential joint effort with the Atlanta Falcons for this year’s camp.

Why? The NFL, amid their re-opening plan amid the COVID-19 pandemic across the country, is looking to minimize team travel beyond that which is necessary — and multi-team contact over several days did not make the league’s cut for establishing acceptable guidelines to return.

The NFL sent out a memo yesterday to inform the teams.

Both the Bills and Dolphins were mentioned by Falcons head coach Dan Quinn as candidates to participate in joint practices in 2020 — but now all teams must not only remain bunkered down at their team facilities for the duration of training camp but they must also avoid multi-team contact to ensure safe procedures as the league looks to re-open and run their 2020 season without interruption.

We will continue to learn more about the NFL’s re-opening procedures and plans in the coming weeks — although the next step for the league is to re-open the team facilities for coaching staffs. The expectation is that will come sooner rather than later, potentially before the end of the week.

No joint practices during Lions training camp for first time since 2015

For the first time since 2015, the Detroit Lions will not have joint practices during training camp.

For the first time since 2015, the Detroit Lions will not have joint practices during training camp.

After initially ruling that NFL teams must run their training camps at their home facilities in 2020, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that the league sent a second memo out to teams informing them “that they also will not be allowed to hold joint practices with other teams this summer”.

“In order to mitigate exposure risks,” Houston Chronicle’s Aaron Wilson reported on the memo, “we have agreed that no joint practices will be permitted this year during training camp. We believe that each of these steps will enhance our ability to protect the health and safety of players and your football staffs.”

With pre-season away games at New England and Miami — two coaching staffs with ties to the Lions via their time together at the Patriots — it was very likely the teams would have made arrangements for joint practices ahead of at least one of those games.

The Free Press’ Dave Birkett suggested on Twitter that the Lions and Patriots were hoping to have joint practices in Foxborough, after spending last year in Allen Park.

Be sure to stay tuned to Lions Wire as training camp dates and possible availability for fans to attend the practices are scheduled.

No joint practices for Packers-Browns during training camp

The Packers and Browns won’t be holding a joint practice in Green Bay

The coronavirus pandemic will prevent the Green Bay Packers from hosting joint training camp practices with the Cleveland Browns in August.

According to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network, the NFL and NFLPA agreed to cancel all planned joint practices this year in an effort to reduce unnecessary exposure between players.

The Packers held joint practices with the Houston Texans last August and were planning to host the Browns for two practices before the two teams face off in the preseason on Aug. 22 at Lambeau Field.

Both coach Matt LaFleur and GM Brian Gutekunst liked the idea of holding the joint practices, which can provide a more competitive practice environment for teams. Quarterback Aaron Rodgers wasn’t a fan – noting the vanilla schemes and injury risks involved – and won’t mind the cancellation.

The NFL also announced all teams must hold training camp at the team facility, a change that won’t affect the Packers.

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Will the Lions host joint practices in training camp in 2020?

The Lions have hosted the Patriots and Giants in the last two training camps, but the popular practice might not happen in 2020

Will there be joint practices at the Detroit Lions training camp in Allen Park this summer? It’s a question nobody can definitively answer just yet.

The Lions have hosted opposing teams in advance of their scheduled preseason games at Ford Field for joint practice sessions in the last couple of training camps. Last year it was the New England Patriots, following the New York Giants in the summer of 2018.

This year’s joint practice candidate for Detroit would be the New York Jets, the team’s first home preseason opponent. New York’s coach is Adam Gase, a former Lions coach and Michigan native. Nothing has been officially scheduled, and based on the current coronavirus pandemic restrictions and accommodations, it might not happen in 2020.

From a recent ESPN piece from analyst Seth Wickersham on the idea of joint practices this summer,

The NFL has not provided teams with guidance at this point regarding events such as joint practices. The league is working with outside experts and the NFL Players Association to develop protocols for players returning to team facilities. The NFL then will work on procedures for training camp.

The Lions make ideal candidates to share a joint week with the Miami Dolphins leading into their third preseason game in Miami, the week after the Jets come to Detroit. Dolphins coach Brian Flores and much of the Miami staff has ties with Lions coach Matt Patricia from their days together with the New England Patriots. That potential joint situation has also has yet to be scheduled.

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Denver Broncos 2020 Preseason Schedule

Here is the Broncos’ preseason schedule for 2020.

The NFL announced the Denver Broncos 2020 schedule on Thursday. The regular season games are the ones that count but the preseason games are obviously closer. Here’s a look at Denver’s exhibition schedule:

Game Week Date Television
Week 1: Broncos vs. 49ers Aug. 13-16 9News/KTVD-20
Week 2: Broncos vs. Bears Aug. 20-23 9News/KTVD-20
Week 3: Broncos @ Rams Aug. 27-30 9News/KTVD-20
Week 4: Broncos @ Cardinals Thursday, Sept. 3 9News/KTVD-20

Dates and times for the Broncos’ preseason schedule are expected to be finalized later this offseason. All of the team’s games will air locally on 9News/KTVD-20. In-market fans can stream the games using FuboTV (try it free).

Before facing Chicago in Week 2 of preseason, Denver is expected to host the Bears for joint practices in training camp, according to KUSA-TV’s Mike Klis. The Broncos are still hoping to start training camp on time in late July.

Denver also hosted Chicago for joint practices in 2018. Last year, the Broncos hosted the San Francisco 49ers for joint practices.

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2020 Saints preseason schedule features familiar opponents

The New Orleans Saints will face familiar opponents like the Houston Texans and Miami Dolphins in their lineup of 2020 preseason games.

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The New Orleans Saints announced their schedule of 2020 preseason games in addition to their regular season lineup, and it includes a few teams fans have seen before. While just one of these matchups is slated for a national broadcast in primetime — Week 2 on the road, against the Pittsburgh Steelers on FOX — the Saints will get the opportunity to play a few exhibition games against teams they’ve worked with in the past.

Here’s the full four-game Saints preseason schedule:

  • Week 1, Aug. 13-17: Saints at Los Angeles Rams
  • Week 2, Aug. 23: Saints at Pittsburgh Steelers
  • Week 3, Aug. 27-30: Saints vs. Houston Texans
  • Week 4, Sept. 3-4: Saints vs. Miami Dolphins

While the Rams and Steelers are new preseason opponents for the Saints, they played the Dolphins last year and held a week of joint practices with the Texans before their 2018 exhibition game. It’s possible that the Saints will try arrange something similar with one or two of the teams on their dance card — The Athletic’s Jeff Duncan reported that New Orleans has already shown interest in exactly such a deal with Sean McVay’s Rams team.

Considering that players on both teams will have been beating each other up in practice for weeks beforehand, this might be seen as a great opportunity to try out against different skills sets and talents from around the league.

Keep an eye out for broadcast changes as we move deeper into the summer. The to-be-determined exact dates and times are no accident. In normal years, the NFL usually reserves the right to flex preseason games into more prominent time slots as it pleases. But the league must be even more flexible in light of the novel coronavirus pandemic.

It shouldn’t surprise anyone if these preseason games are at least played without fans in attendance, moved, or outright canceled if the public health crisis is still ongoing by August or September. Hopefully the NFL will be able to work with local and federal governments to ensure a safe environment for teams and fans alike.

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Report: Broncos exploring hosting Jaguars for joint practices

The Broncos would like to host the Jaguars for joint practices this summer.

The Denver Broncos are exploring the possibility of hosting the Jacksonville Jaguars for joint practices in August, according to a report from The Denver Post‘s Ryan O’Halloran. Jacksonville would practice in Denver in the week leading up to a preseason game if the NFL signs off on the possibility.

The Broncos are also hoping to host the Chicago Bears for joint practices this summer. It’s unclear if the league would allow Denver to host joint practices with two different teams during the same offseason.

It is clear that Broncos coach Vic Fangio is a big fan of joint practices.

“I like joint practices,” Fangio said at the NFL combine on Feb. 25. “I’ve done a bunch of them. I remember when I was with the Bears, my last year there I brought it up to [Bears coach] Matt Nagy to do it. He had never been around one and I talked him into doing it. In my talk I counted them.

“Roughly, I had done about 40 of them in my career. He went around and tried it with us. If you remember we came out and worked against the Broncos and he loved it. He wanted to do it last year, but we couldn’t get it. It’s not official-official, but we should be able to do it this year.”

Last year, the NFL announced Denver’s preseason schedule in early April. The league will likely announce its preseason schedule — and confirm joint practices — at a similar time this year.

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Packers to welcome Browns to Green Bay for joint practices

The Packers will welcome the Baker Mayfield, Odell Beckham, Myles Garrett and the Browns to Green Bay for joint practices.

Another AFC team with a first-round pick at quarterback, a dominant wide receiver and a game-wrecking defensive lineman will be heading to Wisconsin for joint practices with the Green Bay Packers.

According to Jim Owczarski of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, the Packers are planning to host Baker Mayfield, Odell Beckham, Myles Garrett and the Cleveland Browns for a set of joint practices in August.

Last summer, the Packers welcomed Deshaun Watson, DeAndre Hopkins, J.J. Watt and the Houston Texans to Green Bay for two practices.

Although quarterback Aaron Rodgers objected to the practices, noting injury worries and blandness of the schemes, both coach Matt LaFleur and GM Brian Gutekunst like the idea of bringing another team to Green Bay for a controlled but competitive practice environment, especially with the NFL likely to eliminate one preseason game under the new CBA.

The Browns had big expectations in 2019 but finished 6-10 under first-year coach Freddie Kitchens, who was fired. The franchise hired Minnesota Vikings offensive coordinator Kevin Stefanski as the new coach in January.

Other standouts from the Browns include Pro Bowl running back Nick Chubb and Pro Bowl slot receiver Jarvis Landry, plus former Packers players such as Damarious Randall, JC Tretter, Morgan Burnett, Justin McCray and J’Mon Moore.

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Packers planning joint practices with undisclosed team for training camp

The Packers will hold joint practices with a to-be-announced team during training camp again this summer.

The Green Bay Packers will host joint practices during training camp again this summer, but coach Matt LaFleur isn’t ready to officially announce the team headed to Green Bay, according to Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

Last season, LaFleur and the Packers welcomed the Houston Texans for two days of joint practices in early August. Although quarterback Aaron Rodgers has publicly expressed his distaste for the idea, the Packers will host another, to-be-announced team for practices during camp.

Prior to last year, the Packers hadn’t hosted a joint practice since 2005.

“I wouldn’t mind if they didn’t do it for another 14 years,” Rodgers joked last August.

GM Brian Gutekunst described the joint practices as a useful evaluation tool, both for veterans and younger players, especially if the new CBA eliminates one of the four preseason games.

Rodgers pointed to a few scary injuries, specifically a head injury suffered by tight end Jace Sternberger on a bad hit during a live team drill, and a few flareups of emotion during special teams periods as arguments against the practices. He also didn’t like running bland schemes against bland defenses during the team work.

However, having a team come to Green Bay for a pair of practices provides an opportunity for a (mostly) controlled, game-like environment with less overall risk of injury.

Just as a reference, the Packers and Texans announced their joint practices in April of last year.