Aug. 9, 2015, was Trae Waynes’ welcome-to-the-NFL moment.
He was a blazing rookie and prized first-round draft pick when Vikings coach Mike Zimmer pushed him from the comfortable nest of training camp and into the real world of playing cornerback in a league whose rule book favors the guy you’re trying to cover.
It was a valuable, live-action learning experience. One that Zimmer and his peers won’t have with preseason games canceled in this oddball ramp-up to the 2020 season.
The venue on that summer night five years ago was Fawcett Stadium, just outside the front door to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio.