Dan Campbell Warns Shorter Preseason Will Hinder Development Of Young Players

There has been a lot of talk lately about the potential for the NFL to expand to 18 regular season games. Doing so would, of course, shorten the preseason. And Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell isn't a fan.

The proposed schedule would push the Super Bowl to the third Sunday in February — the day before Presidents' Day. And it would cut the preseason to just two games, which Campbell said would likely hinder the development of young players.

"That’s another game, but if you reduce a preseason game you’ve got all these young guys you’re trying to develop," Campbell told reporters at a recent OTA practice. "You look at what we were able to do with some of our young guys last year, and how important they were to us winning, but there’s a process to it. 

"And so if you don’t get them developed or get them enough reps to where they help you, then that’s the only thing, that’s what you lose."

Dan Campbell cautions a shorter preseason could hinder the development of young NFL players.

(Credit: USA Today Sports Network/Detroit Free Press)

Dan Campbell Has A Problem With Less Preseason

It's easy to understand why the NFL wants more games. The league is always looking for ways to make more money through media rights deals and sponsorship — oftentimes at the expense of fans and players. We saw it when they expanded the regular season to 17 games in 2021. And we certainly saw it when they forced us to subscribe to Peacock and Amazon Prime for exclusive, streaming-only games.

More inventory means more money. Period.

But there are also a number of issues with adding yet another game to an already grueling and physical season. The lack of a developmental period for rookies, like Dan Campbell mentioned, is one. The health and safety of all players is another.

Commissioner Roger Goodell has expressed an interest in expanding the NFL season to 18 games.

(Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

The good news for Campbell is that a change likely won't come before 2030, when the current Collective Bargaining Agreement expires. And even then, the NFLPA will have to be on board.

So, if it does happen, there will likely have to be some compromises on the league's end — like an extra bye week or even NBA-style load management for the players.