This is not the year to be an undrafted rookie in the NFL. The league has already trimmed the preseason schedule from four games to two and might eliminate the exhibitions altogether. For an undrafted first-year player like Cale Garrett, the mission to make the regular-season roster could be daunting.
Garrett, the former Mizzou linebacker, signed with the Tennessee Titans after the NFL draft. Last fall, his All-American campaign was cut short in the season’s fifth game when he suffered a torn pectoral muscle. He recovered in time to take part in the NFL combine but had to settle for a free-agent contract after going undrafted.