NFL Notes: 2021 Draft, Preseason, Reduced Rosters

July 2, 2020

USA Today’s Dan Wolken writes college football officials have broached the possibility of the NFL moving back the 2021 draft with the league to accommodate the college football season being potentially moved to the spring.
However, Wolken says the NFL isn’t interested. The 2021 draft is currently scheduled for April 29-May 1 in Cleveland.

Pro Football Network’s Tony Pauline confirms there’s a high degree of certainty the NFL will cut Weeks 1 and 4 of the preseason.
Pauline says most players are fine with this, as they lobbied to reduce the preseason during CBA negotiations. But he adds this hurts the players fighting for the final 10 or so spots on the roster as there are fewer chances to prove themselves.

Pro Football Network’s Tony Pauline says there are absolutely legs to the rumor that the NFL will reduce roster sizes from 90 down to 75 to alleviate crowding at team facilities.
The NFL is debating either having teams cut down to 75 before reporting for training camp, which would mean cutting players before they even get a chance to get in the building and practice, or allowing young players and rookies to report first in a mini tryout for a few days before cutting once the veterans arrive.
Pauline writes players who test positive for the virus will likely end up on the non-football injury list, but the NFL is looking to create an exclusive NFI list for tests.
Some issues the NFL is hashing out is how to pay players on the NFI list, with an across-the-board rate being discussed, and how to compensate players for the risk from workouts and travel during the pandemic.