NFL Training Camp: What Really Happens in July and August
Training camp is where rosters are sorted, playbooks are installed and jobs are won or lost. Here is how a typical camp day runs, what the rules limit and what the preseason games are for.
In late July, while most of the country is thinking about vacations and baseball, a few thousand football players report to practice fields and begin the process that turns a collection of individuals into 32 teams. Training camp is the longest stretch of football work before games count, and it is also the most misunderstood. Fans see highlights of a pass breaking up or a tackle and assume the work is about crowd-pleasing drama. In reality, camp is a daily process of teaching, testing and sorting.
This guide explains what the NFL's training camp is for, how a typical day is structured, what the collective bargaining agreement limits, why teams hold joint practices and play preseason games, and how all of it ends with the difficult job of trimming a large roster down to its final size. Dates, roster limits and practice rules change over time, so where the details matter we say so and point you to the official sources.
What camp is for
Camp has several jobs, and they happen at once.
- Install the system. Coaches teach the offense, defense and special teams plans to every player, including those who are new to the team. For rookies and recently signed veterans, this is a language lesson as much as a football one.
- Evaluate competition. There are more players than jobs. Camp is where starting spots, backup roles and the last few roster places are decided.
- Build conditioning and football shape. Players arrive in condition, but football demands specific endurance and toughness that only practice can build.
- Create cohesion. A quarterback and a receiver need repetitions together to learn timing. An offensive line needs reps to move as a unit. Camp builds those habits.
- Prepare for the season opener. By the end of camp, the team should have a settled starting lineup, depth chart and plan for the first game.
None of those jobs produces a highlight. All of them determine how well a team plays in September.
Who reports, and when
A team's camp opens on a date set by the league and the team, usually in the second half of July. Rookies and certain players, often including quarterbacks and players returning from injury, typically report a few days before the veterans. The rest of the roster arrives on the main reporting date.
The roster in camp is much larger than the roster a team carries in the regular season. The league sets a roster limit for the camp period, which has been 90 players in recent years, and teams must reduce to the regular-season limit before the season begins. That means every roster you see in July is temporary, and dozens of players are fighting for a place. For the rules on the final roster, see waivers, claims and cut-down day and roster cut-downs and the gamble of the 53rd man.
Not every player is on the field on the first day. Players who are injured or recovering may be placed on lists that let the team keep them on the roster while they heal, such as a physically-unable-to-perform designation. Those lists have specific rules about when a player may return to practice, so teams use them carefully.
A typical day
Camp schedules vary by team and by coach, but most days follow a recognizable pattern.
| Time of day | What usually happens |
|---|---|
| Early morning | Players arrive, get treatment from athletic trainers, eat breakfast, and attend meetings |
| Morning meetings | Position groups watch film from the previous practice and review the plan for the day |
| Practice | Warm-ups, individual drills, group work, then team periods |
| Afternoon | Lunch, lifting or conditioning, treatment, and more meetings |
| Late afternoon or evening | Walk-through, special teams review, final meetings; some teams hold a second, lighter session |
| Night | Players study the playbook and rest |
The long hours in meeting rooms are the reason players describe camp as mentally demanding. A rookie has to learn terminology, formations and responsibilities for dozens of plays, then recognize them at full speed.
The practice itself is built in layers. Individual drills let position groups work on technique, such as quarterbacks on footwork and pass rushers on hand moves. Group periods put units together, like 7-on-7 passing drills between receivers and defensive backs, or one-on-one matchups between linemen. Team periods are 11-on-11, with the full offense against the full defense, and they are where the playbook is tested. Special teams periods cover kicks, punts, returns and coverage units.
What the rules limit
Camp is regulated by the collective bargaining agreement between the league and the players' union, and its rules are designed to protect players' health. Without citing specific numbers, which change with each agreement, here is what the rules typically cover:
- A gradual start. The early days of camp are an acclimatization period with lighter equipment. Players start in helmets and work toward full pads over several days, rather than going straight to full contact.
- Limits on full-contact practices. The number of practices in full pads is capped across the season, which is why coaches choose carefully when to tackle.
- Limits on practice time. The total time on the field and in meetings is regulated, and days off are guaranteed.
- No two-a-day schedule in full pads. Older eras of camp often had two intense practices in a day. Modern agreements limit that practice.
Because the numbers are set in an agreement that can be renegotiated, check the current agreement or league announcements if you need exact counts. The agreement as a whole is explained in the collective bargaining agreement: what it controls and why it matters.
What happens in the quarterback battle and other competitions
Camp is where position competitions play out. When two or more players are competing for a starting job, the coaching staff typically splits repetitions and tracks performance across practices and preseason games. The staff records how each player handles the playbook, the pocket and the pressure. It is common for a coach to say the competition is "close" for a long time, because he wants to see more tape.
Competition is not limited to the quarterback. Offensive line spots, the starting job at a linebacker position, the third receiver and the kick returner can all be open. At the other end of the roster, special teams ability is often what separates a player who makes the team from one who does not, because a backup who contributes on coverage units is useful on game day. See how an NFL team builds a depth chart for how those decisions show up in the lineup.
Joint practices
Many teams hold joint practices with another team, usually in the days before a preseason game. The two teams share a field, run drills together and sometimes scrimmage under controlled rules. The value is that players face a different opponent from the one they see in their own building every day.
For a defensive back who has been covering the same receiver for two weeks, a new face offers a fresh test. For a coach, joint practices are a chance to evaluate players in a competitive setting without the risk of a game. The tradeoff is that bringing two teams together requires coordination, and fights can break out in heated practices. Coaches usually set rules for the sessions, such as limits on live tackling, and officials from the league sometimes attend.
Preseason games
The preseason schedule is a short set of exhibition games that do not count in the standings. The number of preseason games has changed over time, and the schedule has recently been three games per team, though the league can change it. Check the league schedule for the current format on our schedule page.
Preseason games serve a different purpose from regular-season games. Starters, particularly established veterans, often play only briefly or not at all, because the risk of injury outweighs the value of the snaps. Young players and those competing for the final roster spots get the most playing time. Coaches use these games to evaluate those players in real conditions, with real contact and real pressure.
Fans sometimes ask why teams play starters so little. It is a tradeoff: players need some live repetitions to be ready, but each snap carries injury risk. Each coach decides based on the player, his experience and the team's needs. A veteran who has been in the system for years may need fewer preseason snaps than a rookie quarterback who is still learning.
The preseason scores matter very little. Teams routinely use simplified game plans, rotate players frequently and avoid showing what they will do in the regular season. A team that goes undefeated in the preseason has not proved much, and a team that loses every game has not lost anything.
Rookies, undrafted players and the long shots
Camp looks different depending on where a player stands. A first-round rookie is expected to compete for a starting job and is usually given the benefit of the doubt while he learns. An undrafted free agent has a much narrower path. He typically needs to stand out on special teams, show he can contribute in the preseason games and impress coaches who are watching dozens of other players for the same few openings.
Because there are so many players competing for so few spots, coaches pay close attention to details that are easy to overlook: whether a player arrives early, how he takes correction, whether he makes the same mistake twice, and whether he keeps working when the repetitions are not going his way. A player who is simply a little less talented than the starter in front of him can still earn a roster spot by being dependable on special teams or by learning more than one position.
For the many players who are released at the end of camp, the work is not wasted. Some are claimed by other teams, some join practice squads, and some return to camp the next summer with another year of experience. The league's roster rules shape all of those paths, and the process is described in waivers, claims and cut-down day.
Veterans, contracts and camp absences
Veterans face a different set of questions. A veteran with a secure starting job treats camp as a time to refine his timing with new teammates and avoid injury. A veteran whose job is in doubt, perhaps because of a younger player or a high salary, may feel the pressure of competition more than any rookie.
Camp is also where contract situations become visible. A player who wants a new contract may stay away from camp, a practice often called a holdout, or may report but not practice, sometimes called a hold-in. Under the labor agreement, a player who is under contract and fails to report can be fined for each day missed, and the specifics are set by the agreement. These situations are personal and complicated, and the public rarely sees the full picture, so be careful with any report that claims to know a player's motives.
Fan access and the media
Many teams open practices to fans for part of camp. Where that happens, it is a chance to see the team up close, watch drills and collect autographs. Some teams hold open practices at their regular stadium. The details vary by team, so check your team's announcements.
The media also covers camp heavily, which creates a stream of reports about who impressed and who struggled. Treat those with caution. A player who makes a great catch in one drill may have had a poor day otherwise, and a report that a quarterback "struggled" might reflect one bad series. Practices are rarely full games, defenses and offenses are restricted in what they can do, and coaches deliberately test players in uncomfortable situations. The people who see all of it are the coaches, who watch the film.
Injuries in camp
Injuries are a major part of the story. A long camp means many practices, and even with the rules designed to protect players, injuries happen. Teams place injured players on the appropriate list, treat them and either bring them back or move on. A serious injury can end a player's season before it starts, and it can also change the competition for his position.
Players and fans can follow reports through the league and team injury information, and on our injuries page. For safety and medical rules, rely on the team's doctors and athletic trainers, and for the league's concussion procedures see the NFL concussion protocol explained.
How camp ends
Camp ends with the roster cut-down, the date by which every team must reduce its roster to the regular-season limit. It is one of the hardest days of the year: dozens of players on each team learn that they are being released, even though many of them practiced hard for months. Some are claimed by other teams. Others may be offered a place on the practice squad, which is the group of players who practice with the team but are not on the active roster. See the practice squad: rules, pay and why it matters.
By the time the season opens, the starting lineup is set, the depth chart is established and the team has a plan for its first game. The work of camp does not end at that point, since teaching and evaluation continue through the season, but its main goals have been met.
The short version
- Training camp runs through July and August and is built to teach the system, sort out competition and build football shape.
- The camp roster is larger than the regular-season roster and must be trimmed before the season begins.
- A typical day mixes meetings, individual drills, group periods, team periods and special teams.
- The collective bargaining agreement limits contact practices, practice time and the pace of the early days; check current numbers.
- Joint practices and preseason games help evaluate players who are competing for jobs; starters often play little.
- Preseason results matter very little, and practice reports are partial views.
- Camp ends with cut-down day, when rosters shrink to the regular-season limit.