No Fans? Training Camp Outside PA? Maybe

Since 1972, the Eagles have held training camps at five different venues throughout the state.

Now the COVID-19 pandemic could force them to leave Pennsylvania to begin preparing for the 2020 season.

Nothing, of course, has been made official, but it could possibly happen in a state that has remained mostly closed by order of Governor Tom Wolfe as the coronavirus continues to wreak havoc throughout most of the southeastern counties.

Some states haven’t been as hard hit.

Arizona, for instance, can begin opening for sports teams this weekend. That could open the door for the Rams and Chargers, two teams based in California where the coronavirus has been particularly stubborn, to train.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has begun slowly opening the Sunshine State and hung out a welcome sign to sports teams.

“Professional sports are going to be welcome in Florida," Gov. DeSantis said on Wednesday. "That may not be the case in every other state in this country as we've seen. What I would tell commissioners of leagues is, if you have a team in an area where they just won't let them operate, we'll find a place for you here in the state of Florida, because we think it's important and we know it can be done."

New York and New Jersey have also been hit hard by the virus, so the Giants and Jets could be on the move in addition to the Eagles.

The Eagles have trained at their home base in South Philly since 2013 when Chip Kelly decided not to take the team to Lehigh University, a site the Eagles had used from 1996 through 2012.

Prior to Lehigh, the Eagles trained at West Chester University from 1980 through 1995. They were at Widener University form 1973-79 and prior to that Albright College from 1968-72.

The NFL is still holding out hope that they will be able to open the season on time, with the first regular-season game scheduled for Sept. 10 between the Houston Texans and Kanas City Chiefs.

The first full slate of games is Sept. 13 and that is when the Eagles are scheduled to travel to play the Washington Redskins.

In order to make it all work, there will have to be some sort of training camp, and even if there is, there seems to be little hope of hosting fans at games for at least the first few weeks if not longer or perhaps even the entire season.

The NFL has contingencies in place, one of which is starting the season on Oct. 15, though that date probably means no fans as well. If the league wants fans it may have to wait until the start of 2021, but even that date offers no guarantees.

“For sure it will be different, man, if we have to play the game with no fans,” said Eagles defensive tackle Fletcher Cox on Tuesday during a video call. “At the same time, we have to understand that health is a priority. We have to look at our health. If we have to play a game with no fans, it will be something to get used to. It will be more like a, you know, I don’t know how to explain it, but it will be weird, for sure.”

No fans means decreased revenue for teams, and that could lead to a salary cap that actually declines for the first time in forever. That would certainly affect teams moving into the 2021 season.

Even if somehow the NFL is logistically able to figure things out and get training camps open, there is still the matter of safety for players, coaches, trainers, and other staff. Currently, teams have 90-man rosters during this portion of the offseason.

“They’ll be really cautious about it being in a locker room with 90-plus people,” said Cox. “Even in the regular season you’re still in there with 65 people, however many players it is, then you have all the staff and stuff, so I’m pretty sure they’ll be pretty cautious about it. Our health is a priority.”