Why The NFL Needs a Minor League — Can the UFL be the Solution?
Ben Glassmire explores the depth and development crisis in the NFL and proposes a solution: an NFL minor league. How viable is it?
Player development is always at the forefront of NFL teams' concerns; bringing in elite position coaches, investing in high-tech facilities and enhancing the overall organizational infrastructure are all methods NFL teams use to accelerate a player's improvement. However, for many players, reps and playing time are the most impactful for future success.
Unfortunately, for many players, there simply are not enough live action or practice to go around.
My spark for writing this article was former third overall pick Trey Lance, whose extraordinary physical gifts had teams salivating over his future. The downside when considering Lance as a prospect was his historic lack of college experience.
In fact, Lance had only 16 starts over his career with 10 or more passing attempts. A shocking statistic that rightly had analysts questioning how he would make the transition in the NFL.
History has validated those analysts, and the 49ers overlooked the problems his inexperience presented them when they drafted him so early. It can be easy to use the benefit of 20/20 hindsight, but Lance’s overall struggles to read an NFL defense and make the right throws early in his career invite “what-if” questions.
What if the 49ers were more patient with Lance? What if Lance had avoided injury in his second year and been able to continue to build his game? What if he had more reps in college before making it to the NFL?
The “what if” rabbit hole is easy to fall into, but there are some merits to the argument. Recent years have seen quarterbacks like Sam Darnold, Geno Smith and Ryan Tannehill resurrect their careers with the right coaching staff and proper development.
This is not easy to find, though. There are only so many jobs to go around in the NFL, and for players at the end of the roster, the time to make mistakes and learn from them do not exist the same way it does for secure starters.
If you are with me thus far, you may be starting to see where I am coming from when I suggest a radical idea like a minor league for the NFL.
Almost all other professional sports leagues have some type of developmental league that allows younger players to gain the playing time they need before the bright lights of the pros shine on them.
The NBA has the G-League, where future all-stars like Khris Middleton, Pascal Siakam, Rudy Gobert and others got their start. The MLB has the minor leagues, where nearly every player spends some time before getting to the show. Even a sport like Formula 1 has a feeder series, Formula 2, where drivers can hone their skills before securing a coveted Formula 1 seat.
These minor leagues all offer athletes a chance to gain exposure to the highest level of their sport before being put in the spotlight. Why not the NFL?
Minor League Economics
The NFL, thus far, has been resistant to the idea of a minor league, relying mainly on the preseason and the practice squad for player development and extra reps. Unfortunately, most players who receive those reps often find themselves with very little job security, especially early in their careers.
It is a challenge to envision what an NFL minor league might look like for several reasons. The most significant aspect being the economics and overall structure — would each team have its own affiliate, similar to the NBA and MLB? That proposal seems unlikely due to the sheer cost and complexity of having enough players to fill out that many rosters.
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