Interesting 'cause and effect' type post from Len Pasquarelli that I found recently over on Ernie Palladino's 'Giants Beat.' We have talked a lot about how undrafted free agents and late-round picks will have a harder time making NFL rosters whenever the season starts. Somebody has to fill those jobs, though, and the flip side of that is that some veterans who would otherwise get kicked to the curb will eek out one more season in the league.
Pasquarelli wrote:
With the likelihood that NFL franchises will be subjected to condensed preparatory time for the start of the season, whenever that is, experience and familiarity take on a renewed and significant importance. And that almost certainly translates into increased opportunities for some veterans who might otherwise exist only on the fringe of the roster.
"You take the five- or six- or seven-year veteran who isn't a starter, is making good money, and is a role player," agent Joe Linta said. "In a normal year, those guys would be in jeopardy. A lot of teams would be looking to replace them with a draft pick or a (rookie) free agent, someone who makes a lot less money, and might more or less do the same job. But if there's basically no minicamps or any offseason program, no training ground for the young guys, teams are going to keep the older players because they know the system."
Without doubt, that makes sense. Teams will have less time to 'develop' players. Therefor, it is logical to conclude that 'NFL-ready' veterans who already know a team's system will have a leg up on some of the backup roles around the league.