NFL owners approve 90-man rosters to commence 2021 training camp

NFL rosters will possess 90 players to begin the 2021 training camp period, with three cut dates to follow.

Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports league owners have approved 90-man rosters to begin the 2021 training camp period this summer. This comes after a number of teams began last year’s edition of training camp with 80 players to accommodate the hardships introduced by the COVID-19 pandemic.

There will then be three cut dates to follow; teams will shrink the rosters to 85 by Aug. 17, 80 by Aug. 24, and then 53 by Aug. 31.

Amidst COVID challenges in 2020, many teams opened camp with an 80-man roster. That's an extra 300+ players on rosters to start camp. The progressive cutdowns occur on the Tuesday after each preseason game. With only 3 preseason games, final cuts are 4 days earlier than normal.

— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) May 26, 2021

This is another move made by the NFL to return to normalcy following a pandemic-impacted 2020 training camp period and overall regular season.

Optimism in regard to fans returning to training camp also exists. Pelissero reported Tuesday the NFL expects fans to once again attend their teams’ camps, with the guidelines in which they return based on their state and local COVID regulations.

The NFL is set to experience its inaugural unified training camp start, meaning 29 of the league’s 32 teams will begin camp on Tuesday, July 27. The Cowboys and Steelers can report to their respective camps on July 21 due to the fact they’ll be taking part in the annual Hall of Fame Game on Aug. 5. The Super Bowl-winning Buccaneers, on the other hand, can report on July 24 before opening up the regular season against Dallas on Sept. 9.

Thirty teams have additionally been approved to open their stadiums at full capacity prior to the 2021 preseason. Two of these organizations are the New York Giants and Jets, whose home venue, MetLife Stadium, will be cleared to open at 100% capacity this Friday, May 28.