Undrafted free agents, losers of the lockout?
“Football is back.”
With those three words, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, in his mind, obliterated the past few months of NFL media coverage. Of course, it was Goodell who insisted on calling the league-initiated lockout a work stoppage, a euphemism remarkable for the disingenuous nonchalance with which it was intended to absolve the league of its creating the situation in the first place. Having in three words, dispensed with history, Goodell and the rest of the NFL could begin to take more practical steps.
One of those steps was to begin the process of free agency. The league was forced to accept a shortened timetable for free agency, which resulted in a near-constant stream of signings announced after the free agency period officially opened last Friday. Most media outlets were inundated with news of big-name signings: Nnamdi Asomugha going to the Eagles was a surprising and intriguing development, as was Plaxico Burress heading to the Jets.
The amount of signings and the short timeline available spurred a media frenzy. On Friday, Josh Katzowitz of CBSSports.com‘s Eye on Football said the blog’s Twitter account received approximately 30 tweets per minute from the 600 accounts it follows.
“It was brutal,” Katzowitz said. “Just trying to figure out where everyone was going, it was information overload.”
Katzowitz cited the long days during the compressed free agency period as the biggest departure from normal for both national and beat reporters. Another element that added to the chaotic feel was the unprecedented week-long free agency period.
“No oneknew what to expect,” Katzowitz said.
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The frantic nature of this year’s free agency period made sense, but it came with some interesting repercussions. The established pros naturally attracted the bulk of the media’s attention, and some details were bound to slip away unnoticed due to the sheer volume of action that took place among the veteran free agents. Both fans and members of the media were attempting to make sense of a dynamic situation, which led to very little attention for rookies and undrafted free agents.
“Rookies all lost,” Katzowitz said.
That’s only a small part of the issues these players now face thanks to the lockout, though. For the average rookie, regardless of if they’re a top pick, a sixth- or seventh-round pick or an undrafted free agent like Oregon Ducks defensive tackle Brandon Bair, who just signed on with the Kansas City Chiefs, the compressed training camps this year represent a missed opportunity. Coaching staffs already pressed for time will likely prefer veterans familiar with the systems in place – at least for now. Moreover, in prior seasons, rookies could use organized team activities (OTAs) to familiarize themselves with a new offense or the complexities of defenses at the professional level.
This season, rookies will face a trial by fire.
For the Cam Newtons of the world, the lockout will not make much difference. Those players will garner second looks based solely on talent. For a Blaine Gabbert, a top pick lacking the physical gifts that Newton possesses in abundance, the experience gained in OTAs might have given him polish that could have made him a presumptive starter despite his unproven ability to win at the pro level.
For an undrafted rookie facing the average NFL career of 3.5 years, though, the prospect of trying to impress coaches enough to earn a roster spot in only a few days during a compressed training camp is daunting, to say the least.
The problems for undrafted free agents go beyond that. Top picks, at least those with initiative, would have picked up playbooks during the brief time period in which the lockout was lifted.Undrafted rookies were not only left without recourse in this area, but also generally didn’t have the chance to participate in player-led workouts (as they didn’t know what team they were going to and teams weren’t able to negotiate with them).
Their lack of firm deals with teams meant they weren’t even able to read up on their coaches, schemes and teammates. The undrafted free agent has precious little time during these compressed training camps to assimilate the new plays in a playbook, and may end up losing a season due to his inability to familiarize himself with the intricacies of a team’s offense within an adequate timeframe.
Compounding rookies’ problems is the rookie wage scale, an integral part of the new NFL collective bargaining agreement. No longer can rookies expect the paydays seen by the likes of Sam Bradford. Instead, No. 1 pick Cam Newton settled for less than half of Bradford’s guaranteed $49 million payoff. Rookie budgets are set for a team, but teams can allocate those budgets however they want, so the lowest picks are likely to suffer even more financial wounds. Moreover, the undrafted free agent signing-bonus budget was locked in at $75,000, and that pool now includes CFL players as well, meaning there’s even less money out there for those at the bottom.
This season thus likely represents a lost season for many rookies. They have to deal with quick turnarounds, salary scales and more. There’s an opportunity cost some incurred in taking advantage of a final season of NCAA eligibility. Moreover, the short camp and the lack of OTAs increases the very real possibility that some rookies will not find places over the 51st, 52nd and 53rd veterans on a given team’s roster.
Thus passes the coming season for rookies, the true losers in Goodell’s game of brinksmanship. Those who gain roster spots will suffer from their inexperience while veterans will reap the benefits of their experience. Will the on-field product suffer? Probably not. While fans will not see as many breakout rookie performances, perhaps there are, indeed, veterans capable of capturing the collective consciousness.
That said, despite the fact that rookies will bear the brunt of the negative impact of the lockout, fans will likely experience only its positive effects. Indeed, the free agency period has attracted the most page views ever seen for NFL coverage on many sites.
While the average rookie may have a tougher task to crack the pros, the on-field product probably isn’t going to suffer as a result of the lockout, and few will shed tears for the low-profile rookies.
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