Silver Minings: NFL offers to cancel entire preseason

As part of the negotiations for playing through the coronavirus pandemic, the NFL has reportedly offered to cancel the preseason entirely. While a final plan for the NFL season has not been finalized, it appears there will be no preseason if there is an NFL season.

It would be a major shock if the NFL Players Association balks at the offer to ditch the preseason. Frankly, most players would love to have no preseason every year.

The preseason had already been cut from four to two games. The Raiders are currently scheduled to play at San Francisco on Aug. 21 and host Arizona on Aug. 27. So, with the preseason on the way to being wiped out completely, the Raiders’ first game at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas will be Sept. 21 against the New Orleans Saints on Monday night football. Fans very likely will not be in attendance.

With no preseason, training camp will be the only way for young players to make the final roster. Coaches will not like it, but there are going to be a lot of strange elements to the 2020 NFL season. The lack of the preseason just adds to the list.

In other Raiders’ links:

• Nice YAC: PFF has a stat, showing Derek Carr’s receiving had the second-best average, in terms of yards after catch average, in 2019.
• Renfrow love: The head of the Senior Bowl loves Raiders’ receiver Hunter Renfrow.
• Mayock likes his secondary: Raiders’ general manager Mike Mayock told The Athletic he is excited to see the team’s new secondary.
• Wow, Bowden: This PFF stats shows what rookie Lynn Bowden Jr. can bring to the Raiders.
• Deep-dive stats: The Athletic has a numbers-driven Raiders’ season preview.