The NFL was struck with some significant news on Tuesday as ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that the league office informed teams they must stay at their team facilities during summer training camps. Preseason camps will start in late July, although further dates have not yet been announced by the league.
And so the NFL has told all its teams that they must stay at their team facilities for this summer's training camps.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) June 2, 2020
Due to continued concerns surrounding the coronavirus pandemic, teams will be required to train at their own facilities assumingly to reduce travel and limit contact with outside factors.
David Newton of ESPN was the first to report the news earlier this afternoon when he mentioned that the Carolina Panthers would be holding training camps locally rather than at Woodford College, where they have held camp every year in team history dating back to 1995.
One of the longest standing traditions for training camp locations belongs to the Pittsburgh Steelers, who have held preseason camp at St. Vincent College since 1965 but will now hold camp locally.
Teams like the Dallas Cowboys will usually hold half of their camp in one location and then return home closer to the season. The Cowboys have often held camp in Northern California for half of the time and then move to their newer facility in Frisco for the second half. Now, the Cowboys will be forced to stay in North Texas and train at The Star, which is their top-of-the-line facility that opened in 2016.
For most teams, moving to their home facilities will not be an issue, but the Seattle Seahawks had been trying to move out of their normal home location due to a large number of coronavirus cases around their area. With this ruling by the league, Seattle and all teams will have to take extra safety precautions for their team no matter the city they are in.
Although there will be certain organizations that may be thrown off their game with this new change, teams like the Denver Broncos and Green Bay Packers have held training camps locally for 17 and 60 years, respectively, so the ruling should have no impact on them.
Currently, players and coaches are not allowed inside team buildings unless a player needs to be treated for an injury. Roger Goodell and the league office have been patient and doing their best to follow local guidelines before making an all-inclusive decision for all 32 teams.
The NFL is also banning all joint practices in 2020 to limit contact and socializing.
And the NFL just sent a memo to teams informing them that they also will not be allowed to hold joint practices with other teams this summer either, per source. It had developed into a popular practice in recent years.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) June 2, 2020
