Although NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has been adamant about maintaining the timeline of the 2020 NFL season amid the ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, it appears there could be some changes made to the preseason leading up to it.
Reports indicate that league may be looking to shorten the preseason from four games per team (five for those teams in the annual Hall of Fame game) to two. Since the league has had to take unprecedented action leading up to the 2020 campaign, this would be part of their efforts to reduce the health risks involved with staying on schedule.
Of course, this would have little impact on the starters for the Los Angeles Rams since they have become accustomed to sitting out of exhibition games in recent years under head coach Sean McVay. Regardless, it seems to be a change that quarterback Jared Goff would like to see come to fruition.
According to Greg Beachum of The Associated Press, Goff expressed his support for a shortened preseason:
Jared Goff on a potential 2-game NFL preseason: "Great. That's how it should be, I think."
He still doesn't expect to play, though: "We don't play in 4 (preseason) games. I don't know why we'd play in 2."
— Greg Beacham (@gregbeacham) June 10, 2020
Goff’s opinion is one that has been shared by the majority of key players throughout the league that have become accustomed to missing the preseason due to the risks that are already involved. The restrictions placed in response to the coronavirus have only given them another legitimate reason to hold off and use the extra time until the regular season rolls around.
The Rams will continue to take the same approach that they have since McVay’s arrival by ensuring that their players are 100 percent healthy. After all, they are set to usher in a new era at SoFi Stadium and will need to be at full strength if they hope to spark a potential resurgence.
