Posted by ESPN.com's Paul Kuharsky
The absence of NFL Europe -- or NFL Europa if you adopted the name the NFL wanted us to use near the end -- will be felt when training camps open in a few weeks. Gone are the roster exemptions that were tied to player allocations to the summer league. Gone are rosters that were sometimes puffed up over 90.
Rosters at the start of camp will be composed of 80 players.
With injuries forcing teams to shuffle their numbers along the way, it's likely we'll see a lot more transaction action. If a GM sees two guys go down at one spot, he's probably going to have to adjust with a cut and a signing, even if both are temporary.
It left me thinking that the guys in a lot of camps as the extra leg -- the second kicker or punter -- might be in trouble.
But Titans coach Jeff Fisher said he expects veteran punter Josh Miller to be around through most of the preseason to help ease the burden on Craig Hentrich and give those Titans who are auditioning for punt return duties chances to field punts from a lefty.
"The key is that you have a healthy 80 going into camp or stay as close to 80 from a health standpoint as you possibly can," Fisher said. "Where you have a concern is if all the sudden you're starting to get nicks at one or two positions and your numbers are down and you're not in a position where you want to injury-settle, just to get through practice you may have to bring different position players in."
But Fisher doesn't think extra legs will be at any more risk than any other camp-depth luxury.
"I think you may see it at other positions. I think you may see linebacker numbers down or even wide receiver numbers," he said. "I think you can get through training camp three-deep at linebacker. Some clubs will go into training camp with 13, 14 receivers. You don't necessarily need those numbers. You can get through with 10 or 11 if you need to."
Some teams like the Titans still have cuts to make. They're currently carrying 88 because their seven draft picks don't count until they sign contracts. Franchise player Albert Haynesworth doesn't count before he signs a long-term deal or agrees to his tender offer. Tennessee is likely to cut a few players at a time as it nears agreements with its draft picks.
