NFL shortens 2020 preseason, per report

The NFL has shortened the 2020 preseason to just two games, according to Pro Football Talk. This comes after the 2020 Pro Football Hall of Fame Game was cancelled last week.

A shortened preseason has been brewing for several weeks, as the league has been searching for ways to ensure the 2020 regular season starts on time in as safe of a manner as possible. By playing two less preseason games, NFL teams will have a longer acclimation period amid the COVID-19 outbreak once players start reporting for training camp in late July.

Because of the virus, sports teams worldwide have been forced to slowly bring back players and re-acclimate them to their teams. That includes social-distancing, wearing masks, and quarantining players who test positive for the virus.

We’re also seeing teams bring back their players in smaller groups vs. having everyone report within a couple of days like we normally see. That’s why it’s going to take NFL teams longer to get everyone on the 90-man offseason roster back into their buildings and tested for the virus before they can practice together.

Currently, the Bengals have preseason games at the Kansas City Chiefs, at the Atlanta Falcons, and home games vs. the Indianapolis Colts and Minnesota Vikings. It’s unclear which of those games will be cancelled. I would guess the Chiefs will be one of them, while it’s likely the Colts game remains since it’s the shortest travel distance of those four games.