NFL - NEWS & NOTES

“NFL clubs met today via videoconference and received an update on preparations for the 2020 season,” the league said in its statement. “We will continue to implement the health and safety protocols developed jointly with the NFLPA, and based on the advice of leading medical experts, including review by the CDC. We will address additional issues in a cooperative way. All decisions will be made in an effort to put us in position to play a full regular season and postseason culminating with the Super Bowl which is the shared goal of the clubs and the players.”

 

NFL considering unlimited IR returns after three games missed

With the COVID-19 pandemic threatening to upend the 2020 season, the NFL is considering a move that could help teams manage a rash of positive tests.

NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reported Friday that one suggestion endorsed by the NFL's competition committee to help clubs cope with COVID-19 is allowing an unlimited number of players to return from injured reserve and non-football injury lists and lowering the required games missed from eight to three, per sources informed of the discourse.

The idea to let players return from IR sooner would be in an effort to minimize the damage teams face from positive COVID-19 tests, particularly if there are a slew of players affected.

Per Pelissero, players would still need to make the final active roster to be considered for IR-return (a stipulation of the current system, which allows three players to return to IR after sitting out at least eight weeks.)

The hesitancy in the past for not allowing more players to return from IR was the belief among teams that clubs would stash young players on IR to keep them around rather than lose them to another squad.

Pelissero added that there is less concern in the current environment about stashing than ensuring teams have players they trained available.

The question of shortening IR stays is one of several issues the NFL and the NFLPA are attempting to iron out as the season quickly approaches. NFL owners are scheduled to hold a conference call Friday to discuss the latest COVID-19 talks between the union and league.

NFL.com

 

Clarifying the 2020 injured reserve/COVID-19 rules

Our recent item regarding expanded use of injured reserve with the ability to return was partially correct, and partially not. Now that the full document containing all details of the league’s offer to the NFL Players Association has been obtained by PFT, we can spell out exactly how injuries and COVID-19 diagnoses would be handled in 2020.

The procedures previously explained actually would apply to injured reserve generally. Every team would have the ability to return an unlimited number of players to the active roster following placement on injured reserve or the non-football injury/illness list.

The 2020-only rules, which become effective after 4:00 p.m. ET on Sunday, September 6, will allow the team to remove any player with a football or non-football injury from the roster for three weeks. After three weeks, the player will be eligible to return to practice. Once he returns to practice, the team will have 21 days to place him back on the active roster.

This applies to all injuries, football or non-football. The unprecedented flexibility to park players on IR/NFI and to bring them back after only three games comes from a broader desire to ensure that the maximum number of players are available to play this season, in the event of a COVID-19 outbreak.

As to players who test positive for COVID-19, even more flexibility will apply. A player with a confirmed diagnosis will be placed on the Exempt/Commissioner Permission List. Once the player is medically cleared, the team will be eligible for a roster exemption. A player who is on the Exempt/Commissioner Permission List for less than four weeks will get a one-week roster exemption. If the player is one the list for four weeks or more, it becomes a two-week exemption.

In other words, players who test positive for COVID-19 won’t be required to miss at least three weeks. They’ll be placed not on IR or NFI but the Commissioner Exempt list, a designation that has become known in recent years for the placement of players facing off-field allegations of misconduct. There will be no minimum or maximum stay on the Commissioner Exempt list.

Placement on the Commissioner Exempt list always entails full payment. Thus, it’s now abundantly clear that players who test positive will not face the loss of compensation — even if they caught the virus away from the workplace.

NBC

 

NFL confirms training camp schedule, with all camps open July 28



Despite concerns about whether the NFL is truly ready to go forward with training camps amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the league says camps will open as scheduled.

NFL Executive V.P. of Football Operations Troy Vincent sent a memo to all 32 GMs and head coaches today, telling them that the schedule remains in place: Rookies are to report on July 21, quarterbacks and injured players are to report on July 23 and all other players are to report on July 28.

The Chiefs and Texans will start earlier because they’re kicking off the regular season with the traditional Thursday night opener on September 10. Rookies for both the Chiefs and Texans will get to work on Monday.

The NFL Players Association still has questions about protocols for testing players for COVID-19 and quarantining those who had contact with players who test positive, and several players have expressed doubts about whether there is an effective plan in place to open training camps safely. The NFL’s memo today is not necessarily the last word in an offseason unlike any other.

NBC

 

Jordan Howard joined Dolphins to be part of 'turnaround'

Brimming with first-round draft picks and high-profile free agents, the Miami Dolphins are aiming to turn their franchise into one of the league's best on a consistent basis.

It's the appeal of being part of this monumental shift that beckoned running back Jordan Howard to the Fins. Readying to play for his third team in as many seasons, Howard's motivation for joining a franchise in rebuild mode lies in once again constructing a turnaround.

"I just liked the opportunity it presented," Howard told the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. "I felt like we're turning things around down here, I just wanted to be a part of that. I was part of a turnaround in Chicago, so I embrace those type of things."

The Chicago Bears' leading rusher for three seasons, Howard's final campaign in the Windy City was a memorable 2018 in which he helped his team go from worst to first. He's more than happy to do that again with the Dolphins on the heels of a one-and-done stay with the Philadelphia Eagles.

The Dolphins certainly need a boost in their running game, coming off a 2019 season in which quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick's 243 yards led the squad. In contrast, Howard had a shoulder injury limit him last season, holding him to four starts and 10 games, but his disappointing 525 rushing yards still more than doubled the Dolphins' leading ground gainer.

As a rookie in 2016, Howard reinvigorated the Bears' rushing attack, putting forth a Pro Bowl season with 1,313 yards and 5.2 yards per carry. He followed it up with a second consecutive 1,000-yard campaign, but he's yet to return to the Pro Bowl or match his rookie totals in yards and yards per carry. His yardage has regressed each season since, but the 26-year-old workhorse doesn't believe he has to prove himself to anyone but the guy carrying the ball. Though, it would seem he has a bit of the proverbial chip on his shoulder.

"I really don't have anything to prove to anybody, just to myself that I can still be that type of player," said Howard, who signed a two-year, $6.72 million deal with the Dolphins. " just feel like I'm one of the top backs in the game, even [if] people don't give me respect or credit or anything like that.

"I'm still out here trying to show what I can do."

Along with joining a new team for the second year in a row comes having to learn a new offense amid the most unpredictable and unprecedented offseason likely in the history of the league, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

"It's been definitely different," Howard said. "Just not getting to be around the guys, especially being on a new team and stuff like that and only doing Zoom calls and learning the playbook – just through online meetings and stuff like that. It's definitely been different, but I feel like we been making the best of our circumstances, just getting in as much work as we can. I definitely feel like we're in good shape, but good shape and football shape is different. So, it's gonna be a little bit of an adjustment period."

Howard said getting together with other Dolphins for workouts has helped, particularly in terms of learning the new offense. Nonetheless, he is worried about the novel coronavirus as the pandemic carries on.

"I'm definitely concerned, because it's been going on for a while," Howard said. "I definitely didn't think it was going to be this big or go on for this while, it seems like they can't really get a hold of it and like a trigger and what's causing it. It's definitely a lot of unknown. I feel like the unknown is the scariest part. It's definitely a lot of concern."

NFL.com

 

Raiders have made no decision on seating capacity at new Las Vegas stadium

While many NFL teams have already canceled season tickets for 2020 and told fans to expect dramatically reduced seating capacity, the Raiders are biding their time in the hopes that they can get as many fans as possible into their new Las Vegas Stadium.

A Raiders official told the Las Vegas Review-Journal that no decisions are being made yet for how many fans can attend games at Allegiant Stadium this season.

The Raiders made the move to Las Vegas because they expect it to be a much more lucrative market than Oakland, and they sold $478 million in personal seating licenses for Allegiant Stadium. Then tickets for the 2020 season sold out quickly, and many of them have already been resold on the secondary market. The Raiders want to avoid having to pay massive refunds.

When the NFL’s owners voted 31-1 to block off the first eight rows at stadiums this season so that fans and players couldn’t spread COVID-19 to each other, Raiders owner Mark Davis cast the lone no vote.

Despite the pandemic, Allegiant Stadium is still planning to go forward with a Garth Brooks concert on August 22 for which 65,000 tickets have been sold. That will be the first event at the new stadium, and the Raiders’ first home game is on September 21. The Raiders are still hoping for plenty of fans at that game.

NBC

 

This is business interests colliding with public health interests. Vegas operates on a different agenda than the rest of the country. Be interesting to see what they do.

 

Players blast NFL’s COVID-19 response in coordinated social media campaign



Several NFL players took to Twitter around noon Eastern on Sunday to blast the NFL for what the players say is the lack of a coherent plan to keep them healthy while having a safe and successful season amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

In tweets that were obviously part of a coordinated campaign, players including Drew Brees, Russell Wilson, J.J. Watt and Stefon Diggs said the NFL’s planning has been unacceptable.

Brees wrote: “We need Football! We need sports! We need hope! The NFL’s unwillingness to follow the recommendations of their own medical experts will prevent that. If the NFL doesn’t do their part to keep players healthy there is no football in 2020. It’s that simple. Get it done @NFL.”

Wilson wrote, “I am concerned. My wife is pregnant. NFL training camp is about to start. And there’s still No Clear Plan on Player Health & Family Safety. We want to play football but we also want to protect our loved ones.”

Watt wrote: “Once again in the interest of keeping everyone (players & fans) as informed as possible, here is an updated list of what we as players know and don’t know as the first group gets set to report to training camp tomorrow.” Watt included a list of the questions players have.

Diggs wrote: “If #AdamSilver can respect the voices and protect his @NBA players why can’t @nflcommish do the same? Listen to your players. If we want to have a full season it will have to look different with OUR safety as the priority. @NFL make the necessary changes.”

Players used the #WeWantToPlay hashtag, making it clear that they don’t want to cancel the season, but they do want to play the season with the proper precautions in place.

NBC

 

A.J. Green thinks Joe Burrow, offseason moves will boost Bengals

A.J. Green knows what it's like to be a high draft pick coming into the NFL under unique circumstances, and it's that experience that leads him to believe his Bengals have the right pieces in place.

It was in 2011, the year of the NFL lockout, that Cincinnati selected Green fourth overall. Fast forward a few months later and the Bengals, led by Green and fellow rookie Andy Dalton, compiled a 9-7 record and earned a spot in the AFC Wild Card Round.

While the challenges of the past few months are entirely different than those from nine years ago, players have faced similar setbacks in the form of a lack of OTAs and access to team facilities because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Still, Green believes the flurry of offseason moves, most notably the addition of No. 1 overall pick Joe Burrow, will translate into good things whenever the team does resume on-field activity.

"A lot of people play into the (narrative of) 'how long does it take to get clicking,'" he said on a conference call with reporters on Friday, per the Cincinnati Enquirer. "We're all football players doing this for a long time. (Dalton) and I came in in 2011 and we went 9-7, and we didn't have any kind of expectations.

"I feel like when you have the No. 1 pick, and what we did in free agency and me coming back, (Tyler Boyd) is coming back, John (Ross), Tee (Higgins) and all these pieces that we added on defense, I feel like the talent level that we have now is way different than what we had in 2011."

The 2011 Bengals featured a receiving corps of Green, Jerome Simpson, Andre Caldwell and tight end Jermaine Gresham; 1,000-yard rusher Cedric Benson anchored the backfield and the defense included cornerback Reggie Nelson, nose tackle Domata Peko and second-year standout defensive tackle Geno Atkins. Dalton, Green, Gresham and Atkins all made the Pro Bowl.

The 2020 Bengals, as Green mentioned, have a totally different makeup. The soon-to-be 32-year-old returns to a speedy WR room that includes a back-to-back 1,000-yard receiver in Boyd, a potential steal of a second-round pick in Clemson's Higgins and a motivated Ross who is due back from injury after playing eight games in 2019. Running back Joe Mixon stars in the backfield. The defense will feature the still-imposing Atkins -- now in Year 11 -- and free agent acquistions Mackensie Alexander, Vonn Bell, D.J. Reader, and Trae Waynes. And, of course, under center will be the aforementioned Burrow, the 2019 Heisman Trophy winner and star of the national champion LSU Tigers.

Burrow is one of several first rounders who have yet to sign but it's only a matter of time before the Bengals get him squared away for 2020 like they recently did with their top receiver. After missing all of last season, Green is eager to re-join the club and attempt to create magic with Burrow a la what he and Dalton did almost a decade ago.

"A lot of people don't want quarterbacks to be that fired up, but I feel like he's going to bring to us the same energy he brought to LSU," he said. "I know the type of player he is. I know he's a dog for a fact. I'm excited to play with him and I can't wait to get back out there."

NFL.com

 

The Bengals and Dolphins are 2 teams off the top of my head that are really going to miss not having a preseason of a few games. These new QB's need timing and experience and right now it looks like they will get neither... they will be thrown right into the fire, Burrow's and Tua Tagovailoa.

Im really interested to watch them.

 

The real shame is that both teams set themselves up to have big improvements this season on the backs of these young kids. The Dolphins put together a team I was genuinely interested in seeing play, because I think they can be a lot better than they were, and I like the staff / front office.

 

The NFL’s owners conducted a conference call on Friday that didn’t generate much news. They’ll meet again on Monday.

Via Adam Schefter of ESPN.com, a 2:00 p.m. ET conversation will occur among the membership “as they try to finalize health and safety measures, financial arrangements, and reducing or eliminating preseason games.”

The league unilaterally slashed the preseason from four games to two. The NFL Players Association wants none. The league more recently has proposed one.

The NFL continues to tie health/safety and financial arrangements together, even thought the NFLPA wants to deal with the safety side of things before turning to the monetary issues. Presumably, the league hopes to use the potential relaxation of a hard-line position on lost revenue arising from the pandemic (the league wants the losses to be absorbed in 2020 and 2021) in order to secure a more favorable agreement on pandemic protocols from the union.

Regardless, the time has come for compromise and partnership. The two sides need to quickly band together and focus on their common enemy: The virus.

NBC

 

NFL, NFLPA agree to daily COVID-19 testing



The NFL and NFL Players Association have reached agreement on one of the biggest lingering issues regarding the approach to pro football in a pandemic.

Per a source with knowledge of the situation, the NFL has agreed to conduct daily COVID-19 testing.

Mark Maske of the Washington Post reports that the daily testing will last for a minimum of two weeks, and that it thereafter can be adjusted. (The players won’t want it to be adjusted.)

The players had pushed aggressively for daily testing. The league had wanted to test less frequently, in part because there are questions regarding the utility of daily testing — in part because test results won’t be available for roughly 24 hours.

Still, more testing is better than less testing. As 49ers cornerback Richard Sherman recently told Peter King, the possibility of false positives and false negatives makes it even more important to test over and over again.

It won’t be cheap, but the NFL will foot the bill. As one source explained it to PFT, BioReference Laboratories and the NFL have a general deal for 120 tests per day, with a flat fee divided by the 32 teams. Extra tests are available to each team at a rate of $125 per test.

NBC

 

No fans for Jets or Giants games this year



New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy has told the Jets and the Giants he would not make an exception for his statewide limit of 500 people at outdoor gatherings — meaning they’ll have to play without fans this season.

According to Steve Politi of NJ.com, the Governor made the decision in conjunction with the teams involved.

“My Administration has been working in close coordination with professional sports and college teams to determine how to proceed safely with games at their stadiums amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic,” Murphy said in a statement obtained NJ.com. “While we look forward to the day we can return to games as normal and cheer from the stands, continued concerns for the health and safety of fans, team members, and staff dictate that our executive order limiting outdoor gatherings does apply to sporting events, including training camp.

“We will continue to closely monitor the public health reality and work with health experts to determine how to move forward, and we will continue to work closely with the teams as conditions change. Like all fans across New Jersey, I look forward to watching our teams play from home and plan to be there in person to support the teams when it is safe to do so.”

The limit will also apply to Rutgers football (though it will be far easier to enforce there).

The Jets and Giants are set to report for training camp beginning this week, and the NFL has already declared there will be no fans at camp.

“We support Gov. Murphy’s decision in the interest of public health and safety and, until circumstances change, both the Jets and Giants will play our games without the benefit of fans in attendance,” the NFL teams said in a joint statement. “Although we would prefer to have fans at MetLife Stadium for our games, we will continue to work with Gov. Murphy’s office and will provide updates if necessary.”

NBC

 

32 teams with 90 roster spots each X $125 /test = $360,000 a day !

That's approaching Franchise Tag money.

 

A drop in the bucket if you compare it to the money lost if the season tanks.

 

$360,000 a day X a 48 day training camp = $17,280,000.

Add in lost revenue from decreased (or eliminated) pre-season games.

That's a pretty big drop in the bucket.

 

We're going to need a LOT more info on the NFL's deal for testing before we make that financial judgement.

The owners aren't going to put themselves in a position to lose money. It's the only thing that they ultimately care about.

 

Reports: League agrees to no preseason games



The NFLPA wanted no preseason games. The NFL wanted two.

A compromise was one, but the NFLPA wouldn’t give in so we are headed to a summer without preseason football.

The league today offered the union no preseason games, according to multiple reports.

Perhaps the only people disappointed in the news are the undrafted free agents, who now face an even steeper climb to sticking around for the regular season.

The news is a big step toward starting training camp on time.

A report earlier Monday indicated the league had reduced the number of preseason games it wanted to one, which would have happened the third week of the exhibition season. But as NFLPA executive director DeMaurice Smith explained Friday: It makes no sense to ask players to risk their health and safety for a meaningless game.

“To engage in two games where players would be flying all over the country and then engaging with each other to work, and to do that prior to the season, doesn’t increase the likelihood of starting and finishing the season on time,” Smith said on a Pro Football Writers of America conference call Friday.

No preseason games will allow the league to follow a schedule recommended by a joint committee. That schedule calls for three weeks of strength and conditioning work, 10 days of non-padded practice and 10 days of padded practice over the final two weeks.

NBC

 

1st-round RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire signs with Chiefs

The Super Bowl champions' latest weapon and Patrick Mahomes' newest option is on board for the Kansas City Chiefs' repeat bid.

Chiefs first-round running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire has signed his four-year rookie contract, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported Monday evening.

Selected 32nd overall to end the opening round of the 2020 NFL Draft, Edwards-Helaire was the top back taken in the draft.

Edwards-Helaire looks to many like a luxury pick for the already explosive Chiefs offense who should be an enticing compliment to Damien Williams.

As the Tigers dominated en route to a national crown, Edwards-Helaire goes from one champion to another on the heels of a phenomenal junior campaign in which he had 17 total touchdowns (16 rushing) and 1,867 scrimmage yards (1,414).

Another crucial component to the Chiefs' back-to-back bid is signed.

NFL.com