NFL to cut its preseason in half, per report. Here’s what that would mean for Chiefs
At long last, the NFL is shortening its preseason schedule.
All it required to make the change was the COVID-19 pandemic.
The league will scrap Weeks 1 and 4 of the preseason to provide teams extra practice time after missing their offseason workouts, per a report from Pro Football Talk. The official announcement is expected later this week.
The impact on the Chiefs? It would likely mean an adjustment to the preseason schedule.
Per ESPN, each team will play one home game and one road game. But as it stood originally, the Chiefs were set to play at home against the Bengals in their preseason opener on Aug. 15 and at home against the Packers on Sept. 3 in their finale — the two dates set to be nixed. They were scheduled to make trips to Arizona on Aug. 22 and Dallas on Aug. 29.
In other words, more changes are likely coming.
Condensing the preseason has long been a talking point, particularly considering that teams rest their starters during the entirety of the final week of the preseason. The change, albeit ostensibly for just one year, comes because of the coronavirus.
Teams have not been allowed to meet in-person with their players since facilities were closed in March. Even the re-opening of those facilities last month allowed only coaches and other team personnel in the building, not players, with the exception of those rehabbing from injury.
Absent organized team activities (OTAs), players have missed phases of workouts that medical professionals deem critical to injury prevention and preparation for the rigors of an NFL season. In interviews with The Star, doctors and athletic trainers stressed the need to lengthen the acclimatization period to prevent an increase in injuries this fall. The subtraction of the opening preseason game could provide that.
The NFL still plans to allow its teams to open training camps on July 28. The Chiefs will use their home practice facility inside the Truman Sports Complex rather than make the annual trek to St. Joseph, following a league-wide mandate to remain home for camp.
This story was originally published July 1, 2020 at 4:15 PM.