Report: WFT won't have tryout players at rookie minicamp originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington
As the Washington Football Team prepares to hold its rookie minicamp on Friday and Saturday, it will do so without any rookie tryout players.
NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported on Thursday that because of a positive COVID-19 test among one of the five players in the tryout group, Washington will not have any of those players at the minicamp.
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This does not mean that Washington's minicamp is canceled, but rather limited to just 2021 draft picks, undrafted free agent signings and other players that were already on the roster.
NBC Sports Washington's JP Finlay noted that the NFL allowed each team to designate five players to bring in for a tryout during rookie minicamp in 2021. Prior to the pandemic, the size of that group was much larger, but COVID-19 protocols have limited the size.
Washington planned on having 21 players at minicamp, with five being tryout players and the other 16 consisting of the categories listed above. Now, it will just be those 16 players at the minicamp.
The list consists of Washington's 10 picks in the 2021 NFL Draft, undrafted free agent signing Jaret Patterson and five other players on Washington's roster.
Rookie players coming in on a tryout have the odds stacked against them in terms of making the roster, but it does give players a way to get some NFL experience. Unfortunately, the positive COVID-19 test has taken away that opportunity for the five players Washington was planning to bring in.
Still, the team will go forward with its rookie minicamp as scheduled. It will just be 16 players instead of 21.
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