This week marks the opening date of NFL training camps, with specific dates varying from team to team. Several UFL players are attending NFL training camps hoping to make the team’s 53-man roster.
The Los Angeles Chargers, who play the Detroit Lions in the Hall of Fame Game on July 31st, opened their rookie training camp, July 12th, with veterans reporting next week.
Rookie Camps
The Lions open their rookie training camp on July 16th, with veterans reporting three days later. Other NFL teams, including the Pittsburgh Steelers and Atlanta Falcons, chose to forgo rookie camps in favor of having the full team report on July 23rd.
NFL training camps invite as many as 90 players to attend training camp to prove themselves worthy of a spot on the team’s 53-man roster. Rookies typically report a few days ahead of veteran players to allow them to acclimate before the full team assembles. In addition to those talented rookies fortunate enough to be selected during the NFL draft, there will be undrafted free agents and several UFL players who have been invited to “try out” with NFL teams. Memphis Showboats EDGE DeVere Levelston, RB Deneric Prince, SAF Keaton Ellis, and EDGE Jaylon Allen have all scored tryouts with NFL teams.
These players will also be joined by recent UFL to NFL signees such as Showboats quarterback Dresser Winn, who rejoins the L.A. Rams, and Birmingham Stallions‘ ”Thiccer kicker” Harrison Mevis, who recently signed with the New York Jets. Currently, about a dozen UFL players, including San Antonio Brahmas running back Jashaun Corbin and UFL Champion DC Defenders OT Yasir Durant, have signed with NFL Teams. Corbin is signed to the Atlanta Falcons, and Durant signed with the New England Patriots.
The Advantages of “Rookie Camp”
The advantage of early camp arrivals for rookies is that it helps ease the transition from college to playing professional football. The difference from college to the NFL can be overwhelming for even the most highly coveted first-round draft picks.
A young rookie coming straight out of the collegiate football world, where they were revered as the team’s star, suddenly finds themselves thrust into an environment where the standards are much higher. The competition from veteran players or other talented rookies may blunt their ability to stand out in a crowded environment where all players are vying for the coach’s time and attention.
However, arriving even a few days early gives the rookies time to study the playbook, watch game films, learn the terminology, and get acquainted with the coaching staff. It also gives the coordinators and position coaches time to watch to rookies without the added distraction of veteran players.
The coaching staff will evaluate players to determine how quickly they learn and how they adapt to unfamiliar routes and schematics. They will also watch how a player takes direction and if their personalities mesh well with the team environment. With roster cutdowns mandating virtually half of the camp attendees will be eliminated, every aspect of what a player brings to the team, or might lack, is under intense scrutiny.
NFL Roster Cut-Downs
With the rookies and UDFA’s competing alongside UFL and veteran NFL players, the training camps will become a tightly congested, competitive environment. Every player will be looking to showcase their talents, impress the coaches, and solidify their place on the roster. But sometimes that can create an environment where players overestimate their physical abilities. When players push themselves to the limit, injuries can occur. Unfortunately, training camp injuries are all too common, and in some instances, a player’s season can be prematurely cut short before it even begins.
But that is part of the attrition process involved in trimming the roster from 90 players to 53. Other factors come into play as well that arise out of the stiff competition at every position. Veteran players may come into camp with a high degree of confidence, only to be overshadowed by the talents of a hot young rookie. That veteran may suddenly find himself replaced and released to seek his fortunes elsewhere as a free agent.
Or, as an example, let’s say that a particular team has a stacked wide receiver room. A talented young player could find himself expendable under those circumstances. If he has less than four years of NFL experience, the team could waive that player because he is far down on the position list.
The NFL Practice Squad
However, if the team still feels they could play a role in the future, they may not necessarily want to cut ties permanently. In that case, they would waive the player and hope he is not claimed by another team. If he clears waivers, then that individual would be re-signed to the originating team’s practice squad.
A total of 16 players are eligible to be signed to the roster for the season. These players are not part of the 53-man roster. However, they attend practice during the week to help the team prepare for upcoming games. Except for individual player(s) “activated” to the 53-man roster for the upcoming game, practice squad players don’t travel with the team.
This would occur in the event of an injury or if a rostered player is unable to play that week for personal reasons. A maximum of two practice squad players can be elevated for a single game and returned to the squad immediately thereafter. One way a practice squad player can secure a spot on the 53-man roster for the remainder of the season is if he is activated for a total of three games in a single season.
From UFL Player to an NFL Roster
NFL training camp tryouts are a great way for UDFA’s and talented UFL players to make a team roster. It takes skill, perseverance, and luck, but in the past few years, several talented athletes have achieved their NFL dreams. New England Patriots’ Jeremiah Pharms, Denver Broncos’ Dondrea Tillman, Dallas Cowboys’ Brandon Aubrey and KaVontae Turpin, and Detroit Lions’ kicker Jake Bates are all great examples of spring football players who made the transition. They keep the dream alive for all the aspiring young players who follow.
