Key Points
Bullet point summary by AI
- The NFL training camp schedule is about to begin with rookies reporting before veterans.
- The Collective Bargaining Agreement dictates that rookies can be required to report no earlier than a week before veterans.
- The most critical date this preseason is August 30, when all teams must trim their rosters down to 53 players.
NFL training camp has almost arrived. The first preseason game is just a month away, which means kickoff of the regular season is right around the corner. Where did the time go? Players are wondering the same thing, because over the next few weeks their preparation is about to ramp up in a hurry. For NFL rookies in particular, though, camp is coming a bit more quickly — and there’s a specific reason for that. We’ll answer that question and more about the training camp schedules.
The reason NFL rookies report to training camp before veterans
If you know anything about the NFL’s training camp period, you’ve heard about rookies reporting earlier than veterans. This isn't like OTAs, where that week for rookies is voluntary. The NFL’s Collective Bargaining Agreement says rookies may be required to show up no earlier than a week before the mandatory reporting date for veterans. This is usually a period for rookies to get re-acclimated ahead of the preseason.
Training camp time is valuable, usually at a remote site and with very little time for teams to make a lot of important decisions. Using that time helping rookies get their feet under them is time wasted. Thus, rookies usually meet before veterans.
When rookies and veterans report to training camp for all 32 teams
TEAM | ROOKIES REPORT | VETERANS REPORT |
|---|---|---|
Seattle Seahawks | July 17 | July 24 |
San Francisco 49ers | July 18 | July 25 |
New England Patriots | July 21 | July 24 |
Miami Dolphins | July 21 | July 28 |
Houston Texans | July 21 | July 28 |
Carolina Panthers | July 21 | July 22 |
Buffalo Bills | July 21 | July 28 |
Arizona Cardinals | July 22 | July 22 |
Denver Broncos | July 22 | July 28 |
Tennessee Titans | July 23 | July 28 |
Los Angeles Chargers | July 23 | July 28 |
Las Vegas Raiders | July 23 | July 28 |
New York Giants | July 23 | July 28 |
Cleveland Browns | July 23 | July 28 |
Atlanta Falcons | July 24 | July 28 |
Baltimore Ravens | July 24 | July 28 |
Kansas City Chiefs | July 24 | July 28 |
Washington Commanders | July 24 | July 28 |
New York Jets | July 25 | July 28 |
Los Angeles Rams | July 25 | July 25 |
Jacksonville Jaguars | July 25 | July 28 |
Detroit Lions | July 25 | July 28 |
Cincinnati Bengals | July 25 | July 28 |
Chicago Bears | July 25 | July 28 |
Minnesota Vikings | July 26 | July 28 |
Tampa Bay Buccaneers | July 27 | July 28 |
Indianapolis Colts | July 27 | July 28 |
Green Bay Packers | July 27 | July 28 |
Dallas Cowboys | July 28 | July 28 |
New Orleans Saints | July 28 | July 28 |
Philadelphia Eagles | July 28 | July 28 |
Pittsburgh Steelers | July 28 | July 28 |
There’s a lot of variety in this table in terms of which teams have rookies reporting earlier than the veterans, how much earlier or even earlier at all. The most interesting thing is that there are five teams that have rookies and veterans starting at the same time. The Arizona Cardinals have the earliest start date of those teams on July 22. There are seven teams that start before July 22, as the Seattle Seahawks and San Francisco 49ers have the earliest training camp start dates on July 17 and 18, respectively.
NFL roster cut deadlines and other training camp dates to know
- Aug. 13-29: Preseason games
- Aug. 30: Rosters must be at 53 players
- Aug. 31: Waiver claim deadline
- Sept. 6: Preseason training camp ends and first practice reports due
Out of all the dates on this list, Aug. 30 is the most important one to remember. It’s the date by which teams are required to cut their rosters down to 53 players. In year’s past, teams had to do weekly cuts throughout the preseason, trimming the roster from a maximum 90 players down to 85, then 80 and then 53. Now, it’s just one deadline to get to that final number. This allows teams to carry a lot of depth throughout the preseason before making final decisions.
Another interesting note about the dates is that the deadline to cut players is usually on a Tuesday at 4 p.m. ET, but was moved up to Sunday at 6 p.m. ET this year. Will that have much of an effect? Probably not, but interesting that the league decided to move it up. Other than that, the rest of the dates are pretty clear cut. Sept. 6 will be here soon enough.
More NFL training camp news and analysis
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