Some teams may take fewer than 90 players to camp

Getty Images

The roster limit for NFL teams in training camp is 90. It’s not a minimum; however, they can bring fewer than 90. And some may do just that.

Per a league source, some teams are considering taking 80 or 75 players to camp in order to make it easier to comply with physical distancing guidelines and other requirements aimed at preventing the spread of the coronavirus.

The question then becomes which players will be cut? Draft picks surely will be there. Will undrafted free agents be jettisoned, or will teams worried about cutting costs in a season that possibly will unfold without fans jettison members of the middle class? If young replacements don’t or can’t step up, the team could then bring back a more expensive player, at a lower rate.

Regardless, there could be smaller rosters during training camp, in order to better ensure that the virus will be out of the building.

12 responses to “Some teams may take fewer than 90 players to camp

  1. I don’t know what “league source” you claim to have gotton that from, but I find it highly unlikely that any team would be ok only having 75 players to start camp.

  2. Rather than take a crazy-low number like 75 to camp why wouldn’t they just stagger when guys are at camp? They could hold off on some established veteran starters appearing for a few days until they’ve had a look at some of the longshots and then they could do early cuts of a few of those just as the veterans are coming in.

  3. Guess the players will all be wearing masks during a game and have pockets on their pants for hand sanitizer to use after every play…

  4. Stagger the groups and make them smaller like someone suggested. May not help but wouldn’t hurt.

  5. Not sure how bringing fewer players will help when every play involves direct violations of social distancing.

  6. If they’re only doing a couple of preseason games, why bother giving your playbook and investing the time in cannon fodder with almost no chance of making the team? That’s cost containment balanced against risk/reward.

  7. A team that wants fewer players learning their systems during pre-season when they may be losing players periodically during the season doesn’t seem like a well-run team.

  8. Offensive/Defensive linemen line up inches apart, nose to nose (face masks under their face guards?). Gang tackling is a necessity at times. Someone help me understand where this whole “social distancing thing” fits in to tackle football.

  9. And then when 40 get it, then what? Next man up? Have fun watching D1, 2nd depth players.

Leave a Reply

You must be logged in to leave a comment. Not a member? Register now!

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.