Is the FXFL the NFL’s answer to a much needed development league?

Over the weekend and throughout the preseason over 1,000 NFL players lost their jobs as teams cut rosters down to set up their active 53-man roster for the season.  About a quarter of those players released will join a team’s 10-man practice squad, however about 800 players will remain on the unemployment line after Labor Day.

While some of those free agents usually find a way to play to Canada, overseas in Europe, or sign with the Arena League and the various minor indoor leagues, players will now have an option to continue working in an NFL-like environment in hopes to return to the NFL this year.

The Fall Experimental Football League (FXFL) is set to take off in October, giving 160 players a chance to make one of the 40-man rosters on its four debut teams.

“We think there is a lot of value in what we’ll offer,” FXFL league commissioner Brian Woods said in a recent interview. “There’s undrafted rookie free agents that get cut in the coming weeks, a lot of them are talented and have the ability to play in the NFL.  They need a year or two of playing at a lower level to develop, or maybe they just need to stay in football shape for then the NFL needs them.  We think there is a real need for that.”

What sets the FXFL different than its predecessors (i.e. the UFL, the USFL, NFL Europa and most notably the XFL) is that it’s not trying to keep up or compete with the NFL.  Instead, it’s trying to act as a true minor-league in connection with the NFL, kind of like how Minor League Baseball works with Major League Baseball, or how the NBA’s D-League is connected with the NBA.

The only near successful football D-league was the World League of American Football/NFL Europe, but failed, like every other league, due to financial reasons.

Although NFL Europe was great for quarterbacks like Kurt Warner, Jake Delhomme and Brad Johnson, it was too expensive and seemingly without a clear purpose.

“I never really understood whether the primary mission was to develop talent or to introduce football around the globe,” Andrew Brandt said.  “Was it to produce player or to create new frontiers for marketing expansion and a whole new audience, to get a footprint into the continent? Those didn’t necessarily work hand in hand.”

“NFL Europe put guys into training camps, no doubt about that.”

While the NFL Europe program failed the NFL down the line, it did allow for the sport to grow in Europe, as countries like Germany and Poland have become American Football powerhouses in the continent, creating their own national multi-tier leagues since NFL Europa ended.

There is no question now that with the limited amount of college practices the NCAA allows (the 20-hour rule and only 15 practices in spring) and with the vast amount of underclassmen declaring for the NFL draft year in and year out, that there is a need for a development system in the NFL, outside of the practice squad.

While some of those late-round picks and undrafted free agents have panned out, a majority of college football’s stars have become busts or mere afterthoughts after just two or three years in the NFL.  Just imagine if players like a Ken Dorsey or Greg McElroy, or even Michael Sam and Tajh Boyd had or have a chance (respectively) to develop themselves in an NFL-like environment after being released.

“From a football purist standpoint, there is some concern about the level of play, not talent-wise but in terms of technique, understanding the game and feel for the game,” said Phil Savage, a former personnel executive with the Baltimore Ravens and Cleveland Browns who now runs the senior bowl and serves as an ESPN NFL Insider. “And then you also wonder if you’re losing out on a handful of players that have the ability to play professional football but don’t have the time to develop the way the league is currently set up.”

The need for a development league for the younger NFL players has also grown considering that the new league’s CBA limits most teams to one veteran minicamp and just 10 organized team activities (OTA’s) that lasts no more than 90 minutes and has also made two-a-days a thing of the past.

“You can see a drop-off if you look at the difference in teams,” Brandt added. Quality of play plummets when a team loses their starting quarterback during the season.  A lot of personnel executives in the NFL believe that depth is a bigger issue than injuries in the league at the moment.

“The guy on the practice squad might be pretty close to being on the regular team, but he needs development.  That takes time we don’t always have.”  That development time for some players could come in the form of the FXFL.

The league has all the tools to become a true pro-minor league for the NFL.  The season is scheduled to start on Oct. 8 and finish on Nov. 12, a day after the NFL trade deadline and the time when injuries start depleting depth on team’s rosters and will play its games on Wednesday nights to avoid scheduling conflicts with high school and college games.

Currently, the four-team league will play in Brooklyn (MCU Park in Coney Island), Boston (Harvard Stadium), Omaha (TD Ameritrade Park) and Miami (FIU Stadium).

“The Brooklyn team is kind of how I envision us going forward long term,” Woods mentioned.  “We partner with a minor league baseball team (Brooklyn Cyclones) and utilize their existing marketing and infrastructure.  They handle day-to-day business and we handle football operations.”

Players will earn between $1,000 and $1,250 per week, a salary much, much lower than what the recently defunct UFL paid players (which led to its death three-and-a-half years later).  For comparison, players on an NFL practice squad make around $6,300 weekly.

“You’re not going to become rich working in our league, but we’re finding people who believe wholeheartedly in the developmental model,” Woods added.

If the FXFL can pull their endeavor off, especially financially, then they could receive the official endorsement and affiliation with the NFL in a short amount of time.  While it’s great for players and coaches to get some much needed experience, it also gives fans a better glimpse at the future.

Guys who were just released this weekend like a Michael Sam (from the Rams) and a Tajh Boyd (from the Jets) would be perfect for this league if they hope to get back into the NFL.

Besides, everybody loves more football.