The 23 proposed rule changes unveiled Wednesday came with four proposed bylaw changes. One team has proposed what would be a significant change in the preseason configuration of rosters.
Washington suggests dumping the intermediate roster cuts from 90 players to 75. Instead, the rosters would reduce only once in the offseason, from 90 to 53.
Without 23 other owners supporting the change, it won’t happen. And it shouldn’t happen; moving the rosters from 90 to 75 in advance of the final cutdown day gives those 15 guys per team a chance to catch on with another team, in the hopes of winning an 11th-hour roster spot elsewhere. Going straight from 90 to 53 on the Saturday after the preseason ends would flood the market with more than 1,500 players who would have to be quickly assessed for potential waivers claims, making it harder for the teams to make good decisions — and harder for the players who deserve a shot elsewhere to get one.
Even with starters typically not playing in the preseason finale, there’s no reason to have 90 players for all four preseason games. After weeks of OTAs, training camp, and preseason games, teams know who’s going to make and it who isn’t well before the day on which they need to get rid of all but 53 players.