Offseason? What offseason?
While free agency has largely come and gone, and we’ve still got a few weeks before the draft, a few teams are about to get to work for the 2018 campaign.
Teams with new coaches can start their offseason workout programs this week, and the Cardinals and Bears will be the first to report, with Steve Wilks and Matt Nagy getting their teams to work tomorrow after the holiday weekend.
The Lions, Colts, Giants, Raiders, and Titans will begin next Monday, with the remaining 25 teams starting on April 16.
The nine-week offseason program is broken into three phases. The first two weeks (phase one) include strength and conditioning and rehabilitation work only. In phase two, which lasts three weeks, players can work out on the field in individual instruction drills and team practice on a separate basis (i.e. just the offense or just the defense).
When phase three of the program kicks in, teams can hold 10 days of OTA practices. Those can’t include live contact, but can include 7-on-7, 9-on-7, and 11-on-11 drills.
Teams are also allowed to have one mandatory minicamp for veterans, and teams with new head coaches get an additional voluntary minicamp prior to the draft.