The league finds itself navigating through uncharted waters amid the ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic in preparation for the 2020 NFL season. Although the league office is doing what it can to get some form of safety protocol in place, it seems coaches plan on taking matters into their own hands.
According to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler, coaching staffs around the league are reportedly opting to keep the remote, virtual workouts going from home until training camp:
“Coaches from multiple NFL teams tell me their staffs aren't returning to team facilities until training camp barring an unforeseen development. Others are holding out hope for in-person work in June, but some teams are making the decision now that everything stays virtual”
The league had extended its virtual offseason workout program until the end of May in order to give teams in states with varying restrictions ample time to prepare. Of course, the lack of any definitive plan has seemingly resulted in some pushback regarding the upcoming June minicamps.
Cleveland Browns center and NFLPA president J.C. Tretter has indicated that the virtual offseason could very well run up through June 26. Fortunately, this would still give them ample time to make the necessary preparations for when training camp starts in late June.
Although commissioner Roger Goodell has been adamant about maintaining the timeline of the 2020 NFL season, the league will first need to ensure that teams are able to maintain their current window for the start of training camp. Until then, it seems that many coaches are in no hurry to put an end to the virtual period of the offseason.
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