Two Mexicans will be members of NFL teams for the 2021 season and they will be able to learn from the best players in the league.
Isaac Alarcon and Alfredo Gutierrez went through the NFL International program and in 2021 they managed to stay in the squad of their respective teams.
Alarcón is in his second year with the Dallas cowboys and in 2021 he had the opportunity to play in the preseason, something that he could not enjoy in 2020 because it was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Gutiérrez arrived this year at San Francisco 49ers And like Alarcón, he saw activity in the 2021 preseason with the Californian team.
By NFL regulations, Mexicans were designated by both the Cowboys and the 49ers, with the exception of an international player for the practice team.
What is the practice team?
NFL clubs have their main roster of 53 players, who are the ones who can see activity in regular season games, and a practice team.
The practice team helps NFL teams because it is made up of multiple freshmen or sophomores who train with the main squad, but cannot play regular season games.
For these players to be active in a regular season game, they need to be recruited to the main roster, and this usually happens because teams lose players through injury and they can fill the vacant spot.
In 2019, the practice team was 10 players, but in the 2020 and 2021 seasons its quota increased to 16 due to the problems that the teams could face due to coronavirus infections; The number of positions is expected to drop to 14 in 2022.
What is the international player exception for the practice team?
Alarcón and Gutiérrez will be placed on the practice team with this designation, which ensures their place with their respective teams for the 2021 season and allows them to train with the main squad.
The only bad thing is that they can’t play a regular season game; this designation also benefits the Cowboys and 49ers because the two Mexicans do not count for one of the 16 spots on the practice team.
Now the two Mexican players have to work to try to win a place in the main roster of their respective teams in the 2022 season.
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