Several questions remain for league as report dates for players creep up
The clock is ticking on the start of training camp, and there is unprecedented uncertainty and confusion dictated by the coronavirus pandemic.
Because the Texans and the Kansas City Chiefs play the league’s first game Sept. 10 — allowing them to report earlier than other teams — they need answers fast.
The Texans always bring in their rookies about a week before the veterans. The full squad is scheduled to report July 25.
The first thing teams want to know is what to do about safety and how to handle problems that are certain to occur. They’ve received
some guidelines from the league that raise more questions than provide answers.
Major League Baseball is experiencing problems with testing for COVID-19, including not getting results fast enough. Will the NFL have a similar problem, or will it be solved by the time teams take the practice field for the first time since last season?
One advantage NFL teams have over MLB, the NBA and the NHL is they go last and should benefit from watching, learning and hoping to iron out many of the issues that go with returning during a pandemic forcing restrictions that differ from state to state.
The NFL reduced the preseason from four games to two, canceling the first and fourth exhibitions. The NFL Players Association doesn’t want to play any preseason games, believing it exposes players to unnecessary risks because the games don’t count.
The league wants two games because coaches need to evaluate players, but also to see how many players will test positive and the possible effect on the regular season.
Because preseason games aren’t part of the collective bargaining agreement, the league determines how many are played. In the current environment, there’s no guarantee any preseason games will be played.
One thing that seems certain is the start of the season. The NFL is determined to play the first round of games and see what happens. The league has built-in contingencies for a disruption caused by the virus.
Another issue is roster size. Under normal circumstances, training camp rosters are 90 before being
cut to 53 the week before the regular season begins. The union wants that number reduced this year for safety issues. If the league agrees and reduces the roster to, say, 80, players will have to be waived.
Here’s something interesting to consider: When players are cut before camp, it will mean teams paid signing bonuses to a lot of undrafted free agents they never met in person.
There’s been speculation about teams having a taxi squad to draw players from if too many players test positive. That makes no sense. Who would administer the taxi squad, coach those players and make sure they follow league guidelines?
More than likely, there’ll be a long list of veteran free agents available for teams to sign when their rosters are reduced because of positive tests. Keep in mind, too, that practice squads have been increased this year as part of the 10-year CBA extension.
Teams want to know when players test positive, do they still count against the roster during their two weeks of quarantine or however long it takes for them to get healthy? Or will there be a separate COVID-19 list that allows teams to replace players who test positive even though it would increase the size of the roster?
There also are salary cap implications to consider. Obviously, players who test positive will be paid. But what if players test positive after a night of partying — a serious violation of the rules? Would teams try to not pay them while they are being quarantined?
Travel to road games is something else that must be considered. There are reports some teams want to travel on game days. The league has always frowned on game-day travel unless it’s an emergency because mechanical problems or weather issues could cause games to be delayed or postponed.
Normally, practices are taken for granted. In the new normal, the first few weeks of training camp will be about getting acclimated. When teams can practice normally, the NFLPA doesn’t want any 11-on-11 drills.
Coaches want to know how they’ll be able to prepare if they can’t have more than, say, 15 players on the practice field at the same time. What drills can they do? How close can the players get to each other during practice?
The NFL also hasn’t come up with an opt-out clause like MLB and the NBA. If a player with a pre-existing condition doesn’t want to play this season, will he be paid his salary, and will he earn a year of service?
Another concern is a positive test could turn out to be false, which happens more than 20 percent of the time, according to some medical experts. If a player tests positive, does he get another test immediately to confirm?
Indianapolis quarterback Philip Rivers this week asked a question about a positive test before the Super Bowl. If a player were feeling great but tested asymptomatic, could he still play? The answer, of course, is no.
Imagine the Saturday night before Super Bowl LV in Tampa that Kansas City’s $503 million quarterback, Patrick Mahomes, tests positive for COVID-19 before the Chiefs play the Dallas Cowboys.
Imagine the effect on the Chiefs, their fans, the television ratings, the gamblers and the bookies and, oh yes, the Cowboys, who capitalize by winning their first Super Bowl since the 1995 season.