Tag: mandatory minicamp

Minnesota Vikings 2023 offseason workout dates: First day of 2023 is April 17th

The NFL sent out a press release on Friday where they announced every team’s organized team activities and mandatory minicamp dates.

With the NFL draft approaching, the offseason program is getting closer. The NFL sent out a press release announcing the dates of every team’s minicamp and organized team activities.

The Minnesota Vikings will have their first day of the offseason program on April 17th with the majority of their activities happening in May and June.

OTA offseason workouts:

  • May 22-23
  • May 25
  • May 30-31
  • June 2
  • June 5-6
  • June 8

Mandatory minicamp

  • June 13-14

Last season, these dates were very important for the Vikings with both a new offense and defense to install. This year, it will be about improving the offense and installing a new defense under Brian Flores.

Chiefs 2023 offseason workout schedule revealed

The #Chiefs offseason workout program schedule has been revealed, with official dates for the first day, OTAs, and mandatory minicamp.

The Kansas City Chiefs are back in action quite a bit sooner than you’d expect after their Super Bowl LVII win

The NFL announced start dates for the offseason workout programs and voluntary workouts begin next month. Teams with new head coaches are able to begin their offseason program a bit earlier than other teams. The Chiefs (and all other teams with veteran coaches) can officially begin the first day of their offseason program on April 17.

The NFL announced full workout schedules for each team (find all teams here) from Day 1 through mandatory minicamp. Check out the schedule for K.C. down below:

  • First Day: April 17.
  • Organized Team Activities Group 1: May 22-24.
  • Organized Team Activities Group 2: May 30-June 1.
  • Organized Team Activities Group 3: June 6-9.
  • Mandatory Minicamp: June 13-15.

The Chiefs will hold their rookie minicamp either on the weekend of May 6-8 or May 15-17. Those dates won’t be confirmed by the team or made official until sometime after the 2023 NFL draft.

There are three phases of the voluntary workout program. Here are the descriptions of each phase per the NFL’s press release:

Phase One:

Phase One consists of the first two weeks of the program with activities limited to meetings, strength and conditioning, and physical rehabilitation only.

Phase Two:

Phase Two consists of the next three weeks of the program. On-field workouts may include individual or group instruction and drills, as well as “perfect play drills,” and drills and plays with offensive players lining up across from offensive players and defensive players lining up across from defensive players, conducted at a walk-through pace. No live contact or team offense vs. team defense drills are permitted.

Phase Three: 

Phase Three consists of the next four weeks of the program. Teams may conduct a total of 10 days of organized team practice activity, or “OTAs”. No live contact is permitted, but 7-on-7, 9-on-7, and 11-on-11 drills are permitted.

There are no specific start dates attached to the first two phases, though the first phase can begin as early as the Chiefs’ first day on April 17th. Last season, the Chiefs conducted phase one remotely with offensive players joining Patrick Mahomes in Texas for conditioning and throwing.

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Ravens QB coach James Urban praises offseason preparation of QB Lamar Jackson

Baltimore Ravens quarterbacks coach James Urban shared his thoughts on the development of quarterback Lamar Jackson with a new offense.

The Baltimore Ravens held their 2022 mandatory minicamp over three days at the team’s facility, and all eyes were on the return of quarterback Lamar Jackson. The fifth-year signal caller had missed all of voluntary organized team activities, and some questioned how he could build a rapport around the new offense.

Following the final day of mandatory minicamp, Ravens quarterbacks coach James Urban spoke to the media. One of the questions asked by reporters was on the development that Jackson has had with the new offense over the three-day minicamp. Urban said Jackson’s offseason workouts away from the team has helped the quarterback prepare for his new offense.

“Lamar [Jackson], obviously, handled his business when he was away from us, and he’s worked tremendously hard. I told him many times – having worked with him over these years – I said, ‘I’ll be able to tell as soon as I see you, and as soon as we get out on the field.’ And I could tell in the best way possible.”

 

Jackson is a former league-MVP and has shattered numerous records in his first four years in the NFL, so it’s not surprising to hear he is doing well with the team at practice. Jackson has also expressed on multiple occasions that he is focused on winning and bringing a Lombardi Trophy to Baltimore. His mentality will always have him ready to compete and be in the best shape possible as he continues to improve his game and grow as a player.

Ravens QB Lamar Jackson shares if he buys into notion that he shouldn’t step on field without new deal

Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson shared if he thinks he should step onto the field without a new deal

The final mandatory minicamp practice took place for the Baltimore Ravens on Thursday, and many were anticipating what quarterback Lamar Jackson would have to say when answering questions by the media for the first time in months. There have been a plethora of rumors surrounding Jackson’s contract situation, and multiple questions about the topic were asked to the quarterback on Thursday.

Many analysts around the league have said that Jackson shouldn’t step on the field without a contract extension. When asked if he agreed with that notion, Jackson kept his answer short and simple, saying that he doesn’t buy into it at all.

“No, no, I don’t buy into it at all. I play football; that’s what I’m here for.”

Jackson made it clear that he is not buying into the noise surrounding what others believe he should do while he waits for a new deal. The quarterback has shown to be one of the classiest individuals in the league, and the way he handles the situation shows that.

As it currently stands, Jackson will play on the fifth-year option in 2022. Many believe the former league MVP wants to play out the 2022 season before negotiating on a new contract. However, Jackson said on Thursday that there are “conversations” surrounding a deal. Regardless, when the time comes Jackson will most-likely earn a contract that makes history, and his play on the field should back up whatever the details of the contract end up being.

McCarthy: Cowboys CB Kelvin Joseph expected to be ‘full go’ for training camp after ‘minor injury’

Mike McCarthy had no updates at all on Joseph’s legal status following the cornerback’s connection to a shooting death in March. | From @ToddBrock24f7

Kelvin Joseph remains a man in limbo.

The second-round cornerback from Kentucky would seem to be in a most precarious place with the Cowboys. While uncertainty continues to surround him off the field over the role he played in a fatal shooting this spring in East Dallas, his place on the team’s roster is also up in the air, with the 22-year-old having suffered an injury of some kind recently.

The club maintains that they are hopeful about both situations.

The 2021 draft pick was present during Tuesday’s minicamp-opening practice, sporting his new No. 1 jersey. But he was off to the side, not working with the defense.

With Wednesday’s and Thursday’s sessions cancelled, he’ll now wait until July’s training camp in Oxnard for a chance to get a leg up in what has become a crowded DB room.

The Cowboys currently have ten cornerbacks on the roster, ranging from last year’s interception leader Trevon Diggs to veterans Jourdan Lewis and Anthony Brown to special teams ace C.J. Goodwin to fellow sophomore Nahshon Wright to new rookies DaRon Bland, Quandre Wright, and Isaac Taylor-Stuart.

Big things are expected of Joseph in the Dallas secondary, after being the 44th overall pick last year. He saw action in 10 games as a rookie, but was limited to barely 14% of the team’s defensive snaps for the season and logged just 13 tackles.

Head coach Mike McCarthy, though, didn’t seem overly concerned about Joseph’s health as the team heads into its long break.

“I think he’s going to be okay,” the coach told reporters Thursday. “It’s a minor injury that he’s working through. I think after the five weeks off, I anticipate he’ll be a full go in training camp.”

What’s less clear is his legal outlook.

Joseph was present on the night of March 18, when Cameron Ray was shot to death outside the OT Tavern by members of a group Joseph was with. While his attorney maintains that Joseph was unarmed and not looking for trouble that night, he did not come forward regarding his involvement until a month later and did so only after his image from surveillance video had been broadcast on the local news. He was not charged after meeting with homicide detectives for several hours.

The Cowboys have reportedly addressed the matter privately with Joseph and have allowed him to participate in team activities, even as the NFL and Dallas police continue their separate reviews.

McCarthy was asked about Joseph’s legal status in mid-May, just before the Cowboys’ rookie minicamp.

“I do not have an update on that situation, and I understand the concern,” he told reporters then. “I just want you know when the situation occurred, we had a lot of internal conversation that was really in-depth. And based off the information that we’ve been given, we felt it was important to support him, and he’s been here everyday. He’s been having a pretty productive offseason so far.”

Except for the injury prognosis, the coach had no further updates on Thursday, saying, “I haven’t been told anything for at least a month.”

Joseph himself made a somewhat cryptic post to Twitter on Thursday just as the team’s pre-training camp break got underway.

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Check out these highlights from Broncos minicamp

The Broncos’ digital team shared highlights from mandatory minicamp on social media.

The Denver Broncos wrapped up mandatory minicamp on Wednesday and players are now off until training camp practices begin in late July.

Before we head into the summer break, here’s a quick look back at the highlights from each day of minicamp this week, courtesy of the team’s official Twitter page.

Ravens WR Devin Duvernay shares where he thinks he’s improved most heading into third season

Ravens wide receiver Devin Duvernay shared where he thinks he’s improved the most heading into his third NFL season

The Baltimore Ravens wide receiver group is one that will have to prove themselves over the course of the 2022 season. With the departures of Marquise Brown, Sammy Watkins and Miles Boykin, the team will now turn to players such as Rashod Bateman, Devin Duvernay James Proche II and Tylan Wallace, each of which has shown flashes over the course of their short NFL careers.

Each of those players will need to step up this upcoming season for quarterback Lamar Jackson, including Duvernay. When talking to the media on Wednesday, the former University of Texas star was asked where he believes he’s improved the most heading into his third NFL season, sharing that his overall games is something he feels like he’s gotten better, but wants to continue to grow.

“Yeah, I mean, just overall game, you know. Just route-running, catching, you know just flying around playing fast. I think those are the things I’ve continued to try and improve on and things I need to continue to improve on to just keep elevating my game, you know, outside of special teams, you know, and get on bigger receiver roles and things like that.

Duvernay has had success at wideout, and now he can build on it with what likely will be more playing time this season. Through two years at the professional level, the wide receiver has caught 53 passes for 473 receiving yards and 22 touchdowns in 32 games. Duvernay was also voted to the 2021 Pro Bowl as a return specialist and was named as a First-Team All-Pro as a punt returner.

‘Always a tough stretch’: McCarthy cancels Day 2 of Cowboys minicamp practice

After getting through the 8th and final “install” day, McCarthy gave players a day off practice, holding a team-building event instead. | From @ToddBrock24f7

The Cowboys started the mandatory portion of their minicamp on Tuesday.

They got through enough content, apparently, that head coach Mike McCarthy canceled Wednesday’s practice in favor of a “dynamic” team bonding event.

McCarthy also nixed all media availability for the day, meaning he won’t be answering to inquiring minds quite yet about what the activity entailed.

Though scrapping the second day of practice may sound unusual at first blush, the move shouldn’t come as that much of a surprise. McCarthy followed a similar timeline last year, canceling the final day of minicamp practice for a group activity before releasing players for a 40-day break before Oxnard.

In fact, before the team had even taken the field for their first practice this week, McCarthy was already looking ahead to the rest of the schedule, with an eye toward not burning anyone out.

“I’ll be honest. When we walk off here today, I’ll have a little better idea of what we’re going to do,” the coach told reporters Tuesday. “I want to get through this install phase. We didn’t have the best of weeks last week [at OTAs], which is normal. It’s not negative. I just think: young players, veteran guys that we’re resting, the different combinations. Six, seven, eight installs is always a tough stretch for your rookies.”

Tuesday’s session marked the eighth and final install day according to the coach’s master plan.

No word yet on Thursday’s scheduled practice session, but McCarthy has admitted that strict CBA rules prohibiting contact at this stage of the offseason are a factor. There’s no benefit to exposing players to potential injury just for the sake of holding another practice. The coach seems content to save the real work for the more amenable environment in California, where the team will not only hold their usual camp, but also take part in joint practices with both the Broncos and Chargers ahead of their preseason games.

“It’s really kind of hard to apply pressure, those types of things,” McCarthy said of these early sessions at The Star. “I think the biggest thing- and really the whole goal of the offseason program- is to conceptually learn and teach and make sure that we can go in and have a very competitive training camp in Oxnard, especially with the weather and the situation out there. The one thing I enjoyed [about Oxnard in 2021] is we were really able to push the team. The workload capacity out there was excellent last year. So, we’re looking to build off of that.”

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Chiefs injury, absence updates from second day of mandatory minicamp

An update on injuries and absences from Day 2 of #Chiefs mandatory minicamp.

The Kansas City Chiefs continued their three-day mandatory minicamp on Wednesday with their second practice session.

Several players were still absent from practice on Wednesday, including LT Orlando Brown Jr., DE Frank Clark, WR Justyn Ross, CB Rashad Fenton, TE Blake Bell and DE Malik Herring. Chiefs PR confirmed that Clark had been excused from the first two days of practice, but he was the only player that the team provided official word on. They’re not required to provide official injury updates this time of year.

According to several reporters in attendance, rookie CBs Trent McDuffie and Joshua Williams, who both left minicamp on Tuesday with trainers, were not on the field for Wednesday’s practice. Williams was spotted on the sidelines at practice, but McDuffie was not in attendance at all.

OT Prince Tega Wanogho was also among those absent from practice on Wednesday. OT Lucas Niang continued his rehab work for his patellar tendon injury from last season.

During the course of practice, ESPN’s Adam Teicher noted that WR Josh Gordon exited practice early accompanied by members of the training staff.

With these new absences, along with the prior ones, the Chiefs are pretty thin at the tackle and cornerback positions. Thankfully, there is only one practice session remaining.

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Falcons begin mandatory minicamp: Tuesday updates

The Atlanta Falcons opened up mandatory minicamp on Tuesday with six players trying out for the team.

The Atlanta Falcons opened up mandatory minicamp on Tuesday with the first of three practices, although the team was forced to deal with a slight weather delay.

In today’s Falcons recap, we look at the six players trying out, head coach Arthur Smith gives injury/participation updates and we make one bold prediction for each rookie.