NFL announced offseason workout schedule, Bears’ rookies hit the field on May 14

Earlier today the NFL announced the offseason scheduled for all 32 teams, including the voluntary portion that many players have already indicated that they’ll be skipping this year.

Here’s how the schedule lays out for the Chicago Bears in the next couple months.

• Rookie Minicamp: May 14-16

This will be all of Chicago’s drafted rookies, their undrafted free agent class, and some try-out players.

• OTA Offseason Workouts: May 25-27, June 1-3, and June 7-10

These three OTA sessions are all voluntary, and the Bears are one of several teams where their players have already said they will continue to remain virtual and not work-out in person at Halas Hall. However, with the recent reminder that players who are injured while working out away from their team facility would not be covered by the standard contractual injury guarantee, because technically this would be considered a non-football injury, some players could change their mind.

The Bears cancelled the May 25-27 OTA.

• Mandatory Minicamp: June 15-17

This minicamp will feature the entire team officially coming together for the first time.

COVID protocols remain in place this offseason, but there will be some media access to provide a few nuggets of football information throughout the workouts.

The NFL released the following to explain what each phase of the offseason program entails.

Phase One (April 19-May 14) has been extended from its customary two-week period to four weeks, with activities limited to strength and conditioning, virtual meetings, and physical rehabilitation only.

Phase Two (May 17-21) has been shortened from three weeks to one week. On-field workouts may include individual player instruction and drills, “perfect play” drills, drills and plays conducted with offensive players lining up across from offensive players and defensive players lining up across from defensive players, with each group permitted to align eleven or fewer players across from eleven or fewer players. Players on one side of the ball may execute a play, but players on the opposite side of the ball may not initiate contact with, or attempt to impede the progress of, players who are running the play. All such drills must be conducted at an acceptable walkthrough pace (i.e. Pro Bowl practice).

Phase Three (May 24-June 18) remains its customary four weeks in length. Beginning in Phase Three, clubs may conduct in-person meetings and classroom instruction subject to COVID-19 testing cadence, tracking, facility access and other protocols. During Phase Three, 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.

For detailed offseason program rules, please see Articles 21 and 22 of the Collective Bargaining Agreement, available on nflcommunications.com.