Preseason doesn't mean much for many fans and established NFL star players, but this time of year is paramount for everybody else in the room. On the field, rookies are looking to make a strong first impression, and a multitude of other players are trying to secure spots on NFL rosters that will soon shrink from 90 to 53. Those player position battles are front and center, but this is an equally important time of the year -- both on and off the field -- for the unsung heroes of preseason: coaches, coordinators and administrative staff.
As Commanders head coach Ron Rivera -- then with the Panthers -- once told Fox Sports, the first time a coach addresses the entire 90-man roster, you realize that you don't recognize half the guys in the room, but "they all know who you are." It is the staff's responsibility to get to know all 90, both as players and people, while simultaneously installing the team's offensive, defensive, and special teams schemes. As teams evaluate players before making the life-altering decisions of which ones to keep on the 53-man roster, there is input from coaches, scouts, and executives such as the general manager (GM) in the decision-making process. Coaches want to keep the best 53 players possible, but sometimes GMs will prioritize cost-controlled youth over pricier veterans.
Coming into camp, a staff usually has about 45 players that they anticipate will make the team, leaving the other half of the 90-man roster competing for only eight or so spots. Injuries, free agent signings, and other unforeseen changes can alter those plans substantially. For instance, the Colts' staff expected to have a workhorse running back to lean on this season in Jonathan Taylor, but the disgruntled Taylor's trade request has amplified the need for Indianapolis to cement its backfield pecking order, all while continuing to prioritize the development of rookie quarterback Anthony Richardson. The Jets' staff has a more fun problem on hand, trying to figure out how to best integrate recent signing Dalvin Cook while managing Breece Hall's return from a torn ACL and still finding enough running back reps to determine which of Michael Carter, Zonovan Knight and rookie fifth-round pick Israel Abanikanda will join Cook and Hall on the 53-man roster.
Just as players are expected to hit the ground running come the regular season, so are coaches and coordinators, who spend the preseason fine tuning their strategies and plays while also identifying which players best fit certain roles. They must make these personnel decisions while also taking locker room and off-field considerations into account. Five factors that former Broncos GM Ted Sundquist looked for were whether a player could follow team rules, sustain focus throughout preseason, assimilate to the team's culture, make a difference on the field, and contribute to the team in multiple areas.
No player ever wants to hear the dreaded C-U-T word, and nobody wants to be the bearer of bad news. The unfortunate message is usually delivered by the head coach or GM, but how the process is handled varies from staff to staff. Often the responsibility of actually informing a player that the coach/GM wants to see them on cut-down day falls to the lowest member on the staff totem pole, one who has little more security in their own position than the undrafted rookie they are about to tell will be cut. Even for battle-hardened veterans in coaching staff and front office roles, it's never easy to tell someone they're being cut, whether it's a rookie experiencing failure for the first time after dominating the high school and college ranks, or a veteran who has lost a step after multiple years as a key contributor for the team on and off the field.
The unsung heroes of preseason simultaneously serve as mentors, evaluators, friends, and bosses to 90 players, some of whom they could form working and personal relationships with for years, and others that they will never see again after a few weeks. They bear the responsibility of breaking some of the most joyous or heartbreaking news these young men will hear in their lives, but the coaches and staff also have their own on-field responsibilities to worry about, lest they find themselves on the chopping block as well during or after the regular season. Success and failure comes as a team, which means the players, coaches, and administrative staff must all contribute.
The unsung heroes of preseason may not get much recognition outside the locker room, but the players they interact with on a daily basis notice and appreciate the working conditions the staff creates. After the 2022 season, more than half of the players in the league (1,300 out of 2,200) participated in a confidential survey from the NFL Players Association, where they rated teams on treatment of families, nutrition, weight room, strength staff, training room, training staff, and locker rooms. The Cowboys' staff earned the only A+ in the NFL when it came to treatment of families. On the other end of the spectrum, the strength staff of the Ravens earned an F- and the Falcons got a D-, which was especially incriminating considering 27 of the 32 NFL strength staffs earned an A- or better.
As we head into the 2023 season, team staffs will continue the never-ending balancing act of getting the best on-field results while also cultivating the conditions players crave.
