We’re at the part of the NFL offseason where even the most minor piece of Seattle Seahawks news is still news.
The league has announced the organized team activities (OTAs) and mandatory minicamp dates for all 32 teams. Rookie minicamp dates won’t be revealed until sometime closer to the NFL Draft. For the Seahawks, here are the key dates to remember:
First day: April 20
Organized Team Activities (OTAs): May 26, 28, 29; June 1, 3, 4
Mandatory minicamp: June 9-11
Unlike training camp, OTAs and mandatory
minicamp are closed off to the public, no matter how masterful you think you are with drones. Here’s the annual reminder of how the offseason phases work:
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 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 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.
It’s worth noting that Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald got full buy-in last season, with everyone reporting to voluntary OTAs even if they were recovering from injury. At this point there should be no reason to expect anything different this year.
As far as training camp dates, look for those to be announced sometime in June, and make sure to wear your best when Hard Knocks comes around.
