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In the middle of July, many were wondering why the NFL had failed to do so much as developing the basics around how the 2020 season will play out. Players were unwilling to trust the organization that for years hid and denied the health implications of concussions with putting their health first during the coronavirus pandemic, and voiced it loudly just yesterday.
On the eve of training camp, the NFL finally offered to perform daily tests on players. It was a start but players have been pushing to skip all of preseason to allow for further practice and limit the change of needless exposure.
The NFL finally agreed.
NFL offered the NFLPA today to play zero preseason games this summer, per source.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) July 20, 2020
This offer may be conditional on something else from the NFLPA, but it appears likely this will be accepted. The players get this win but it comes at the expense of the players at the bottom of the roster. Many undrafted players need a chance to show they deserve a roster spot in preseason games. They will now lose that opportunity.
The reaction to no NFL preseason games is all over the map. A coach I’m texting with just said “this just means camp is going to be much harder because we need live game reps, this isn’t all good” Meantime getting emojis sent back from players like “ ”
— Dianna Russini (@diannaESPN) July 20, 2020
With fewer coaches than players, many players will only have limited opportunities to make an impression. Veterans who have already been through a full season will likely have a better chance on proving their worth, as rookies will be dealing with a significant learning curve in the oddest offseason in decades.
It is another domino that needed to fall to move forward with the 2020 season. The league is finally moving forward on the eve of training camp. If the coronavirus does not spread quickly through camps, we should see football in under two months.