There’s been a bit of speculation on what the NFL’s 32-team roster would look like before the Training Camps officially started. Rumors have circulated that teams could end up with only 80 players at camp, and while that’s not the quick and difficult rule, it’s an option for everyone.
The league has told teams that they have two options for their pre-camp player roster, and that they are detailed in a letter that was sent to teams on Saturday. Here is a breakdown of the two options.
Option 1 It says that on or before the mandatory notification date for veterans (which is for the Minnesota Vikings this Tuesday, July 28), teams can reduce the number of players on their active roster to 80. If a team selects this option , they will not have to observe any kind of “divided squad” practice procedures. All 80 players can be on the premises at the same time throughout the camp.
option 2 He says a team can bring up to 90 players on its active roster to training camp. If a team chooses this option, they must reduce their roster to 80 by August 16. Also, if a team follows this rule, its list must be divided into two groups:
- Group 1 consists of rookies and first-year players and, at the discretion of the club, may include some or all of the quarterbacks and injured players who were to report to camp on July 23. If a player is assigned to Group 1, he must remain with Group 1 until the roster is reduced to 80 players on August 16.
- Group 2 consists of the rest of the list. The two groups must remain separate at all times. A team may, at any time, choose to reduce their active roster to 80 and have all their players in the same place at the same time.
You can read the full letter in this tweet from Albert Breer of NBC Sports.
The NFL just sent out a memo to the teams. The start details the dates and time that players can spend on the premises. That is here. (1/2) pic.twitter.com/vdG8D0dWfb
– Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) July 25, 2020
As tough as it sounds, I’m not sure why a team would take Option 2 right now. If you can have a chance to have all your players together all the time during practice, I think you would take advantage of it. I understand what it means to cut some players off before they get a chance to show you something, but considering what they are, I’d have to think coaches would be happier with Option 1 than having to keep two groups of players. three weeks apart.
(Now watch how most teams take Option 2.)
As we’ve said multiple times, the Vikings roster currently has 87 players, so if they decide to go for Option 1, they’ll have to eliminate seven players sometime between today and Tuesday. If that happens, we will let you know who it is.
