The COVID-19 lockdown across much of the country has introduced a lot of unknowns for a lot of people. With travel restrictions and business closures, the last few weeks have seemingly crawled by as the United States — along with the rest of the world — has scratched and clawed to attempt to slow the spread of the virus. For the NFL? The show is moving onward, at least for now. The league remains committed to holding their annual NFL Draft at the end of the month, a move that figures to be made with the objection of holding onto any hope that the league’s 2020 season will start on schedule in the fall.
But the NFL isn’t a gig where one can simply show up on game day and perform; there’s no shortage of offseason workouts, camps, coaching installs and things of that nature. With travel restrictions currently still in place, the NFL’s hopes of navigating to an uninterrupted season will need to see the league call some audibles on how their offseason process is handled in 2020.
According to NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero, that’s exactly what is currently transpiring.
The NFL and NFLPA are still hammering out details of “virtual” offseason, so Phase 1 — which would’ve begun today for teams with new head coaches — is delayed at least a week. For now, teams may send players iPads, tablets, etc., for voluntary use on their own away from facility.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) April 6, 2020
Today would have been the day for teams with new head coaches to open their doors to players for a head start on pre-draft organized team activities (OTAs). Instead, the doors of every NFL offices will remain closed. But while the physical facilities are going to remain on lockdown for the immediate future, the NFL seems to be angling towards allowing their players the chance to work hand in hand with their coaches virtually for the time being. Full details are still unknown, but given how the NFL seems set on keeping as much of their offseason calendar uninterrupted as possible, don’t be surprised if traction builds here and formal guidelines are released during this week.