NFL shortens preseason to two games
The long-rumored decision to cancel portions of the NFL preseason seems to be a reality for 2020.
According to multiple reports, the NFL will cancel the first and fourth preseason games to reduce the risk of the novel coronavirus spreading, and give players extra time to get back into football shape before playing regular-season games.
It is unclear at this time if each team will maintain one home game and one road game during the preseason. Some details still have to be worked out regarding the reduced preseason.
The Dolphins were scheduled to visit the Atlanta Falcons in Week 1 of the preseason, and visit the New Orleans Saints in Week 4. If the league does intend to keep one-home and one-away game for each team, some adjustments must be made to Miami’s schedule because the Dolphins are slated to be at home for Week 2 and 3, hosting the Philadelphia
Eagles on August. Detroit Lions on 27th.
The primary reason for restructuring the preseason was a consensus between the NFL and NFL Players Association that players will need more time than normal to get in football shape this summer.
No team was able to practice on the field during 20 and August the offseason, and many gyms and other conditioning settings — like training facilities and track fields — have been closed for most of the summer. A few are now open and running in South Florida, but NFL players have been warned by teams and the NFLPA to minimized group training sessions in recent weeks as COVID-19 positive tests have spiked in major cities, which includes South Florida.
More details about the finalized preseason schedule will likely be made available in the coming days, but this is the first significant interruption to the NFL calendar, which has essentially remained intact throughout the offseason, outside of the cancellation of on-field work during rookie and team minicamps and organized team activities. The NFL offseason program was conducted remotely using zoom meetings on a daily basis for the past six weeks, but players generally haven’t been in their team facilities since January.
The NFL hasn’t announced any changes to the regular-season schedule, which is set to begin Sept. 10 with the Kansas City Chiefs and Houston Texans playing in Kansas City. The Dolphins are slated to open the 2020 regular season on Sept. 13 with a road game against the New England Patriots.
The Dolphins are expected to begin training camp the final week of July, but no official day has been stated. And it is expected that training camp will be closed to the public, complying with local and state regulations about social distancing, which requires teams and organizations to minimize events that create large gatherings.
The NFL and the NFLPA continue to discuss protocols for reopening team facilities, testing programs and other matters related to playing amid the pandemic. At this time only injured players are allowed to train and rehab at team facilities, which opened last month but have strict rules aimed to limit capacity and keep the environments safe.