2. Fewer injuries in games that don’t matter
The unfortunate reality of playing football at full speed? More injuries.
Although injuries happen every year at training camp, there are way more injuries that come about when live bullets are flying in preseason games.
Last year, preseason injuries derailed the roster hopes of tight ends Austin Fort and Jake Butt, and every year players are injured when they’re trying to prove themselves in preseason games.
Let’s be real about it though — most people thought that Austin Fort had done enough at this point last season just in camp to earn a spot on the active 53-man roster.
Had there been no preseason action, he might have just been carried to the active roster without a second thought in anyone’s mind about it, and he may have actually helped the Broncos last season.
In addition to bottom-of-the-roster players not getting hurt when they’ve proven they can potentially be assets just based on their training camp work, more importantly, is the fact that guys who are locks for the roster aren’t going to face the possibility of getting injured.
Remember Drew Lock’s thumb injury last season?
It happened on a preseason rep in a game that didn’t matter whatsoever.
No preseason, no Drew Lock thumb injury to deal with. Could the future have been ushered in a lot sooner last season if that were the case?
If there is no preseason, the Broncos and every other team could be going into the 2020 season a lot healthier than they otherwise would be.