Tag: NFL minicamp

Watch: Highlights of former Notre Dame S Hamilton’s first day with Baltimore

Hamilton looks good in purple

It was a big day yesterday for many NFL rookies, their first official workouts with their new teams. For former Notre Dame safety Kyle Hamilton, it was his chance to show the Baltimore Ravens front office exactly why the selected him with their first round pick. Check out below highlights from Hamilton’s first practice and interviews after in his first day as a Raven.

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NFL canceling in-person minicamps, extending virtual offseason through June

The NFL isn’t allowing players to return quite yet, continuing their virtual offseason plans through June with training camp on the horizon.

With the coronavirus pandemic causing issues around the world, this is proving to be a very unique offseason for the NFL. While the league is still scheduled to start the regular season on time and play a full 16 games, the lead up to real football will be a little different from previous years.

In addition to the NFL discussing the possibility of a shortened preseason, the league has informed teams there will be no in-person minicamps this month. They will continue with their virtual offseason plans, however, according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero and Ian Rapoport.

With the NFL allowing team facilities to reopen and coaching staffs to return, there was hope players would be next in line and traditional minicamps could potentially start. Though Baltimore Ravens players have been using homemade gyms to train and have been working out together, there’s little replacement for getting on the field at the Under Armour Performance Center with coaches. With the further loss of in-person minicamps, it seems as though training camp will be the next chance for players to return to team facilities.

The NFL sent a memo detailing the protocols for players to return, which points to the league gearing up for training camp. Currently, training camp is scheduled to start for the Ravens on July 28, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. However, with little knowledge about the virus and the potential for another wave of infections, the NFL has been cautious and frequently noted that any dates and plans could change.

Baltimore is currently scheduled to kick off the regular season against the Cleveland Brown on Sept. 13.

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NFL sets initial protocols for players returning to training facilities

With coaching staffs and employees now returning to team facilities, the NFL has created protocols for players to return as well.

The NFL has slowly begun allowing teams to reopen their training facilities. After allowing a small number of employees to come back in March, the league began allowing coaching staffs to return Friday of last week. With training camp on the horizon, the next step is for players to return as well.

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell sent out a memo outlining the initial protocols for players to return, according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero. Though Goodell noted the protocols were developed based on the understanding of the coronavirus at this point, he cautioned that things are expected to change as medical experts continue to gain more knowledge of the disease.

The protocols involve reconfiguring locker rooms to keep players six feet apart, as well as details about mask usage, the disinfecting of equipment, and how meetings can be held.

While no dates have been set and there’s no agreement in place, Pelissero also said the NFL and NFLPA have been talking about allowing some players to return to team facilities ahead of time. Though nothing is guaranteed, these protocols and discussions mark a clearer path towards teams being able to hold practices ahead of the 2020 regular season. Whether that means some type of minicamp, a full-blown training camp, or some other type of arrangement will have to be seen.

Baltimore Ravens coaches returned to the Under Armour Performance Center today for the first time since it closed in March.

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NFL teams could start return to facilities by next week with minicamps in June

A lot has to happen before it’s a reality, but there are encouraging signs for a 2020 NFL season.

According to a report from Yahoo! Sports’ Charles Robinson, in which the reporter spoke with several NFL sources, the NFL could be readying to have their head coaches return to facilities as early as next week — and that this action could lead the way to possible minicamps in June.

One source told Robinson that if California Governor Gavin Newsom opens the door to full team operations, that could lead the way for the NFL to start planning minicamps.

“If California is open for [team] operations soon, minicamps can still happen in June — probably late June, I’d think — but maybe even mid-June,” the source said.

Another source told Robinson that June 15 and June 27th have been identified as potential minicamp dates. Recently, Newsom did float the idea of pro sports returning to California sooner than later.

“A number of other sectors of our economy will open up again if we hold these [positive] trend lines in the next number of weeks,” Newsom concluded on May 18. Clearly, any spike that reverses those trend lines would affect any additional player participation.

On the same day, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said that his state will help teams that want to start opening.

On Tuesday, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy announced that all professional sports teams in his state are allowed to plan for and begin training camp activities as long as they’re following necessary health protocols.

“We have been in constant discussions with teams about necessary protocols to protect the health and safety of players, coaches, and personnel,” Murphy said in a Twitter statement.

As minicamps are generally private entities, observed by team representatives, credentialed reporters, and selected team guests and VIPs, it would be easy enough to practice social distancing for those in attendance. How even non-contact practices would fall under those guidelines is entirely another matter, and the NFLPA would obviously have to sign off on any player participation, but this is an encouraging step for those who have worried about the viability of a 2020 NFL season in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. Training camps are generally attended by fans, but with the NFL looking at the possibility of starting the season with games in stadiums with no fans, one would imagine a similar scenario when padded, contact-filled practices begin.

Again, a lot has to happen here. Right now, this is all in the realm of the hypothetical. Testing numbers and overall curves have to continue to go in the right directions in the right places for prescribed periods of time.

Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross recently said on CNBC that he anticipates a 2020 NFL season, and if all these possibilities happen to come true, that seems a likely scenario — again, under all the right protocols.

“I think there definitely will be a football season this year,” Ross said on Tuesday. “Real question is, will there be fans in the stadium? Right now — today — we’re planning to have fans in the stadium. We all miss our sports. The NFL, I think, will be ready to go. I know we’re all looking forward to it. I know I am.”