It's a year like no other, and whatever NFL season we get will likely be like no other. That is apparently all going to start today, when rookies for Kansas City and Houston -- slated to play the first game on Thursday, September 10th -- report to officially open training camp.
Don't look for any workout highlights this evening. Today, those rookies will be tested for COVID-19, then go home. Tomorrow they'll show up and be tested again. Two negative tests in a row and they can participate in training activities. A positive test...well, the league hasn't finalized a policy on that one yet.
As of yet, teams aren't even allowed to have more than 20 players in a building; the NFL Player's Association hasn't signed off on the NFL's infectious disease emergency response plan. This disassociation was highlighted by numerous big-name players posting on Twitter yesterday about the league's lack of a plan.
The NFL's only piece of news along those lines was proposing that teams have just one exhibition game. Previously it was two; the NFLPA doesn't want any. So safe to say there won't be more than one, and there are compelling arguments on both sides of that. Teams want to have exhibition games both for financial reasons (whether they say so or not) and to test out various procedures relating to having football games during a pandemic. Players don't see the wisdom in risking getting anyone sick in games that don't count.
One other piece of news from the NFL over the weekend was the recommendation that teams have unlimited returns from both injured reserve and the non-football injury list. Both modifications would potentially be welcome to teams (and fantasy teams) in allowing flexibility for players with minor injuries (and illness) to return sooner than eight games.
Assuming rookies do go ahead and report today and have those tests, the results will be telling and help to shape the start of training camps. A bunch of positive tests, and the likelihood of rookies from the other 32 teams reporting goes way down. That will also throw a wrench into veterans and full teams being able to report.
We're a long way away from being able to think about having anything close to a normal preseason or season. The positive to what should happen this week is that we'll start to get more information about what is possible, or unlikely.
--Andy Richardson