[jwplayer MaJSWNah]
The NFL has reportedly told teams they must remain at club facilities for 2020 training camp.
For the Dallas Cowboys, that is momentous as the NFC East team has held training camp for 13 of their past 16 seasons in Oxnard, Calif.
For the Houston Texans, who have had training camp at NRG Stadium and surrounding facilities since the team’s 2002 inception, save for two years in White Sulphur Springs, W. Va., it’s not a problem at all.
From 2017-18, the team held training camp at The Greenbrier, a luxury resort in the Mountain State. While coach Bill O’Brien thought it was a “chance for us to bond,” on July 26, 2017, ultimately, camp returned to Houston.
“I think that Greenbrier was really good,” O’Brien said on July 25, 2019. “We got a lot of work done at Greenbrier last year. We did a decent job coming back in shape and all those things and then we were in the coolness of Greenbrier.
“Now, it’s cool out here today for Houston, but I think as it gets hotter and things like that, I think there’s something to be said for practicing in Houston. I would say the most important thing is we’ll be able to be here in front of our fans. I think that’s the big thing.”
Being in Houston also affords the Texans the chance to use their own facilities and resources to help players get through the grind of training camp. In 2019, the Texans debuted the “Cooling Recovery Zone,” a large, rectangular box players could use to cool off after practice.
In the 2019 offseason, the Texans also upgraded their training room, which will be at their disposal in 2020 training camp.
What the Texans will lose is the chance to practice against other teams. O’Brien has been a big proponent of joint training camps.
“I think it breaks up the monotony of camp,” O’Brien said on Aug. 3, 2019 ahead of the club’s joint practices with the Green Bay Packers. “This is, I think it’s eight practices now going against each other. Now we get two practices against a great football team up in Green Bay. A historic franchise, great quarterback, new coaching staff up there.
“We’re looking forward to it. Then, we have a chance to see how they do things and they have a chance to see how we do things, look at the rosters on both teams. I think there’s just a ton you can get out of it.”
The NFL has nixed joint training camps in 2020.