NFL Shortens Preseason To Just Two Weeks
The NFL has shortened its 2020 preseason to two games as part of a plan for players to better acclimate since this is an unprecedented offseason program due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Essentially, the league canceled Weeks 1 and 4 of its original preseason schedule. Most players will still report to training camp on July 28, but the first preseason games won’t be played until Aug. 20-24. The second week of preseason games is scheduled for Aug. 27-31. Some re-shuffling of the original preseason schedule for Weeks 2 and 3 are underway, as each team will play one home game and one on the road.
The NFL and the NFLPA continues to discuss protocols for reopening of team facilities, testing programs and other matters related to playing amid a pandemic.People close to both parties say there is no hard deadline for a finalizing of protocols, but that if training camps are to start on time (July 28), there’s a sense on both sides that an agreement needs to be reached by the end of next week.
One reason for this is that there’s a chance the league will ask players and team personnel to quarantine at home for two weeks before leaving for camp. This doesn’t even account for newly imposed rules in states like New York, New Jersey and Massachusetts that ask people coming from states where coronavirus cases are spiking to quarantine for two weeks upon arrival.
