Category: OTAs

Penei Sewell will miss Lions rookie minicamp after testing positive for COVID-19

Sewell announced his positive test on his social media feeds

This weekend was supposed to be the Detroit debut of Lions first-round pick Penei Sewell. Unfortunately, the team’s first-round pick will not be making his first appearance in a Lions uniform after all.

Sewell announced on his social media that he has tested positive for COVID-19 and will not be making the trip to Detroit for this week’s rookie minicamp. He is not cleared to travel or to have contact with his new Lions teammates or staffers.

All the other rookies are expected to be at the team’s training facility in Allen Park for the weekend minicamp. Sewell will get another chance to kick off his Lions OTAs in another two weeks for the first session of team OTAs.

https://duckswire.usatoday.com/

Offseason calendar for Lions minicamp, mandatory workouts now set

Offseason calendar for Lions minicamp, mandatory workouts now set

The newest Detroit Lions won’t have to wait long to get their uniforms and their first taste of playing for the team. Rookie minicamp for the Lions draft class and undrafted free agents kicks off in one week, beginning May 14th.

The NFL published the dates for all the offseason activities and camps prior to training camp for all 32 teams. Detroit’s rookie minicamp will run from May 14-16, which is in line with most other teams.

After the rookies get their work in, the rest of the team can report for OTAs on May 25-27, the first of three sets of offseason workouts. There is some question if any players will report to those OTA phases, as the NFLPA is stridently opposed to in-person work prior to training camp.

OTA Offseason Workouts: May 25-27, June 2-4, June 14-17

The drills and activities are heavily limited in the OTA sessions. They more closely resemble a half-speed walkthrough and contact is forbidden.

In between the final two OTA sessions is a mandatory minicamp. This could be the first gathering of the full Lions unit with head coach Dan Campbell at the helm.

Mandatory Minicamp: June 8-10

The dates for training camp and preseason dates have yet to be established.

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Key NFL offseason dates to know for Lions fans

The 2021 offseason ramps up quickly

The 2021 offseason is about to really ramp up. Starting this week, the NFL starts to offer more activity and deadlines for the 32 teams.

Here are some important upcoming dates to know for Lions fans up through the NFL draft.

Feb. 23: First day for clubs to designate franchise tag or transition tag players. The Lions have the potential to use a tag on WR Kenny Golladay or DE Romeo Okwara.

March 9: Teams have a 4 p.m. ET deadline to designate franchise tag or transition tag players.

March 15-17: Legal negotiating window before free agency, a.k.a the “legal tampering” period. This ends at 4 p.m. on March 17th.

March 17: The NFL league year officially ends at 4 p.m. ET. After that time, teams are free to sign free agents to new contracts. It also is the first time trades can be made, such as the agreed-upon deal between the Lions and the Rams.

April 5: Teams that have made a head coaching change are eligible to being offseason workout programs. This applies to the Lions. It is not mandatory and the exact dates are flexible.

April 19: Teams with returning head coaches may begin offseason workout programs.

April 23: Deadline for restricted free agents to sign offer sheets. The Lions have just one in 2021, CB Mike Ford.

April 28: Last day for clubs to match offer sheets for restricted free agents.

Apr. 29 through May 1: 2021 NFL Draft

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4 things I learned about the Lions during the virtual offseason program

On Matt Patricia, Trey Flowers, Jeff Okudah and the respect for Matthew Stafford

The Detroit Lions wrapped up the virtual offseason program last week. It was a modification from the normal series of OTAs and minicamps due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The team did a good job keeping the media looped in via frequent Zoom teleconferences. With everyone working remotely, it was difficult to coordinate bringing everyone together.

Here are a few things I picked up about the team from the virtual offseason program.

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What exactly are the Lions missing with minicamp canceled?

Minicamp is typically the first chance to see the new Lions players in uniform

There will be no minicamp for the Detroit Lions in 2020, nor will there be for any other NFL team. The league canceled the summer rite of football passage as part of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

What exactly are the Lions and the other teams missing out on by not having minicamp?

The primary difference between the typical OTA session, which the Lions are conducting virtually in this strange offseason, and minicamp is the volume of time allowed between players and coaches. In minicamp, coaches are allowed up to 10 hours a day of direct contact with players, versus just two per day in OTAs. That includes both on-field instruction and meeting room time.

There is still no live contact allowed during the minicamp practice sessions. One-on-one drills between offense and defense are still prohibited and the players are not in full pads, just like the regular OTAs. Shorts and shells are the norm.

It’s a more structured, standardized schedule that all teams follow:

  • Player physicals on Monday, but no on-field work
  • Practices Tuesday-Thursday, no practice allowed on Friday
  • Allowed two practices totaling 3.5 hours on the field each day
  • Wednesday practice is walk-through only

Minicamp is also the first time the media is required to be permitted by the team to have access to watching the sessions. The Lions typically permit some media coverage of OTAs but it’s very limited. Most of the time, minicamp is the first time anyone sees the team in Lions jerseys since the end of the last season.

All of that will have to wait for training camp this year, which remains tentatively on schedule for late July in Allen Park.

There will be no Lions minicamp in 2020

The NFL has canceled the mandatory minicamp for all 32 teams due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic

The ongoing coronavirus pandemic has claimed another yearly NFL rite of passage. There will be no mandatory team minicamps this summer. The league announced the move on Thursday in a letter to all teams.

Form the memo distributed to all 32 clubs by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell,

“Although under a traditional schedule, mandatory minicamps are scheduled to open next week, after discussion with the CEC, we have concluded that it would be prudent not to hold in-person minicamps under the current circumstances and have instead determined to extend the Virtual Period through and including June 26. We will continue working with the NFLPA to conclude the remaining protocols and finalize arrangements for the safe opening of training camps next month.”

The memo then laid out what alternate plans are in place for the elimination of the minicamps, which typically take place in the middle of June.

“Clubs have the option to continue their virtual offseason programs through June 26 or discontinue them after this week. All offseason workout programs must conclude by June 26.’’

The Lions have yet to indicate if they will extend their ongoing virtual offseason to the end of the permissible time. No word on training camp yet, either.

Michigan’s stay-at-home order lifted but Lions cannot immediately return to action

Michigan’s stay-at-home order has been lifted but the Detroit Lions cannot immediately return to action just yet

Michigan governor Gretchen Whitmer elected to end the state’s stay-at-home lockdown order effective June 8th. Whitmer’s latest executive order will allow outdoor athletic practices, training sessions, or games to re-start with groups of up to 100 people present.

However, the Detroit Lions won’t be able to immediately jump right back into business as usual.

The NFL extended the virtual offseason period through June 12th and that mandate covers all 32 member clubs. Other than injured players receiving treatment, no players are allowed within team facilities. The Lions scheduled mandatory minicamp, from June 9-11, will need to be held virtually despite the latest edict from governor Whitmer.

Beyond the NFL’s own restrictions, the social distancing requirements laid out in Whitmer’s executive order remain firmly in place. While loosening restrictions, it notes that “participants not from the same household (must) maintain 6 feet of distance from one another at all times” during athletic activities.”

This is a necessary step toward the Lions being able to host training camp in late July at the team’s facility in Allen Park. There is still no word on what will happen with training camp, preseason or fans being allowed into Ford Field for scheduled games in the fall.

NFL extends virtual offseason period for 2 more weeks

NFL extends virtual offseason period for 2 more weeks

The NFL has opted to extend the virtual offseason period for two more weeks. Per Mike Garafolo of the NFL Network, the league made the decision on Thursday as part of its own virtual meetings.

Commissioner Roger Goodell is hopeful that the extension into mid-June will allow teams to open their facilities with less restrictions from local governments. The varied responses by different states have made it tough for the NFL and other sports leagues to do anything on a league-wide basis other than continue to meet virtually.

Michigan’s latest lockdown order runs through June 12th. It is unclear if Governor Gretchen Whitmer will extend it once again. The Lions facility in Allen Park remains closed. Coaches, players and staffers continue to work remotely. The NFL extension allows the coaches to continue to work with players via teleconferencing apps.

NFL sets up protocols for teams to reopen their facilities

Teams could begin Phase 1 as soon as May 15th, though local restrictions might prevent that for the Lions

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell sent out an informative letter to all 32 teams regarding the necessary protocols for reopening team facilities and the 2020 season. It lays out stages of engagement with no clearly defined dates or schedules.

“It is impossible to project what the next few months will bring,” Goodell said in the release via AP. “Uninformed commentary that speculates on how individual clubs or the league will address a range of hypothetical contingencies serves to constructive purpose and instead confuses our fans and business partners, complicates the operations of other clubs, and distracts from the careful planning that is needed right now.”

Among the phases to return to normalcy, with a nod toward local restrictions and regulations that vary from club to club.

Phase 1 would allow for up to 50 percent of a team’s non-player employees (coaches, trainers, scouts, etc.) to occupy the facility on any given day, up to a maximum of 75. This phase could begin as soon as May 15th, though that would go against the current restrictions set in the state of Michigan by Governor Gretchen Whitmer.

No players would be permitted in team buildings unless resuming a course of rehabilitation that was already underway when facilities were first closed.

Phase 2 is still up for revision and depends more on the local restrictions in place for each team.

Matt Patricia, Lions used Phase 1 of the offseason to teach players

Matt Patricia, Lions used Phase 1 of the offseason to teach players

Given the logistical challenges of having players and coaches all over the country in various states of local quarantines, the Detroit Lions and head coach Matt Patricia chose a simpler path in Phase 1 of the team’s offseason activities. The Lions used the initial three-day session last week as an extended teaching seminar rather than a supervised workout.

With several new players and a new defensive coordinator in Cory Undlin, getting everyone on the same page in knowledge is Patricia’s priority. He explained why to the Detroit Free Press.

“We decided to go with the classroom,” Patricia said, “because I thought the teaching was some of the most important things that we need to do now, not only for the players but for the coaches. We have a lot of new coaches and we have a lot of new stuff that’s going in. And quite frankly, the spring is a great time not only for the players but for the coaches to get better being coaches.”

It’s an extension of the emphasis on teaching players that was evident during Senior Bowl practices in January. Patricia and the Lions coached the North squad and the third-year head coach clearly embraced and enjoyed teaching the young prospects.

Players have the ability to work out on their own and in small groups they organize themselves, so using the full team time to educate the players on what the Lions want from everyone makes sense.

Patricia also stated the emphasis on teaching will extend into Phase 2, which begins on May 11th.