One of the big offseason changes in the NFL was the decision to let teams keep up to 90 players on the roster until after the final preseason game.
It used to be that coaches and general managers made a big cutdown to 75 players before their final preseason game, but now there will be no middle cut as rosters get down to 53 players for opening day.
Vikings General Manger Rick Spielman said he loves the new rule because it gives teams a lot more time to consider which players they want to keep either on the 53-man roster or on the practice squad. However, it is going to make for a crazy few days after that final preseason game on Aug. 31.
"Very excited about that. One, you get an extra week with these guys to make some decisions," Spielman said. "Some of these guys, even though they may not be bubble 53 guys, they may be bubble guys that you look at as practice squad guys. We'll get an opportunity to see those.
"The biggest change will be there will be 1,200 names that come off Saturday night and we have to make some decisions by Sunday morning. That will be a long night to see if we can pick any up to potentially help our team, there will be a lot of trades going on there during that time. … That's the last chance you really have an opportunity to make a move here or there to help your team before the season starts."
When it comes to his own team, Spielman said that he can already tell there are going to be some tough calls in cutting players.
"I think we have a lot of competition going on, especially at certain positions, the defensive line and trying to figure out some of these linebackers who all play pretty well, and getting through the offensive line and where we're going to be at by the time that settles," he said. "We have a pretty good group of receivers. I think it will play out. … We're just going through our process right now."
And while Spielman always has input on personnel decisions, he says that when it comes to training camp and preseason personnel moves, he spends a lot of time listening to his coaches and working to have everyone on the same page.