NFL returning to normalcy entering 3rd season in COVID-19 era

Derrick Henry has been seen jogging on the field with his daughter after practice. The Green Bay Packers are once again borrowing kids' bicycles for rides to practice. Fans are rubbing elbows with their favourite players to get those coveted autographs.

Yes, the NFL is looking and acting like it's essentially back to normal going into its third season dealing with COVID-19.

There are no more trailers or tents for testing, and masks are rare. In fact, the protocols devised and tweaked by the league and the NFL Players Association in 2020 and 2021 were suspended last March.

The league still wants anyone with possible symptoms to speak up and wear a mask after contact with someone with COVID-19. A positive test still means isolating at home for at least five days.

"I think we are always concerned about everybody's safety, ours and the health of our families," Tennessee Titans coach Mike Vrabel said, adding that 2 1/2 years into the pandemic: "Hopefully we are past that."

The biggest changes have been the easiest to notice at training camps across the NFL: Fans are back and close enough to high-five and shake hands with players, no longer kept at a distance and happy to resume preseason traditions.

Players are happy to have fans fully back, grateful for the energy boost during the monotonous routine and long days of camp.

"It's huge," Packers running back Aaron Jones said. "The fans are everything. They're what makes football go, and I would say this is one of the best traditions in football, the bike rides. I've had my same little bike rider since I came in, got to bring my son to practice with me as well, so it's special to me."

Cheers are very welcome after the relative silence the past two years when the only sounds were