NFL reportedly to cancel first and fourth preseason games

The NFL reportedly is cutting its preseason schedule in half, canceling the first and fourth games for each team, and delaying the start of exhibition play by one week as the league tries to start its season amid the coronavirus pandemic.

For the Bucs, who had road games scheduled at Pittsburgh on Aug. 14 and at Cleveland on Sept. 3, it means they won’t have to leave Tampa until their scheduled regular-season opener Sept. 13 in New Orleans.

The elimination of the two preseason games is expected to be announced Thursday, according to Pro Football Talk.

It also mean fans will have to wait an extra week to see Tom Brady play in a Bucs uniform. The team’s preseason opener is now set for Aug. 22 against the Jaguars at Raymond James Stadium.

Cutting the preseason schedule in half not only allows teams to reduce travel, it also gives them more practice time to get ready for the regular season without having to prepare for games — important because teams have been unable to conduct on-field practices during the pandemic.

The Bucs’ only other preseason game is Aug. 29 against the Titans. Initially, both the Jaguars and Titans were slated to arrive early and participate in joint practices with the Bucs, but those workouts have been canceled.

The fourth preseason game is hardly important in terms of getting players ready for the regular season. Starters typically don’t play, and players fighting for the last few roster spots see most of the action. For example, last season, the Bucs re-signed quarterback Vincent Testaverde Jr. to play in the final preseason game in Dallas, then cut him.

And for years, there has been consideration of making the preseason schedule shorter and the regular season longer. This year, the extra time also will allow players who have tested positive for COVID-19 during the preseason an extra week to get ready for the regular season.

Now the Bucs will have more than three weeks — 25 days, to be exact — from their first training camp practice (scheduled for July 28) until their first preseason game. They’ll also have 10 days from their last preseason game to the season opener.

Since the canceled preseason games were both on the road, it won’t impact Bucs season-ticket holders.

Earlier this week it was reported that the NFL will allow teams to set their own stadium-capacity levels in accordance with local guidelines, meaning games will have fewer fans. The league will tarp the first 6-8 rows of every stadium with advertising to try and make up for lost revenue and keep fans more separated from players.