As the NFL season draws closer and parts of the country have begun to loosen their quarantine restrictions and open up businesses, minicamps may be the next step towards a possible football season this year.
Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports has indicated that NFL coaches could return to their team facilities by next week and the NFL may be able to allow teams to hold minicamps sometime in June without fans of course. The hope for such action all depends on the next steps that California takes.
“If Newsom opens the way for full team operations, the league could then give NFL franchises the option of holding a minicamp sometime in June, before breaking once again and setting a date for the opening of training camps.”
The league is looking as early as June 15 or as late as June 27 as possible target dates for full-squad workouts, with nothing concrete as of yet. Depending on when or if the minicamps can start, it’s unsure whether that would push back the start of training camps later in the year. Any return to such activities would also have to be approved by the Players Association. Governor Newsom had announced earlier this month that he does see the return of sports to the state in June as a possibility, though it would also depend on individual cities.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom says the state could see pro sports return by the first week of June without fans. pic.twitter.com/j4PPg56Yn7
— Arash Markazi (@ArashMarkazi) May 18, 2020
Lately teams have had to turn to other methods to prepare their players for the possibility of an upcoming season. Teams have held virtual meetings to go over playbooks but it’s getting to close to the season in which more than such meetings will be necessary. NBA and MLB teams have begun to allow limited workouts to their players at facilities and it may not be far off to see the NFL allow it for its teams.
The league still has time before its season officially begins and has been planning for the scenario that fans will be in attendance until its very clear from health officials that the possibility is unrealistic. We’ll have to wait and see how it all plays out. For now, baby steps. We can at least enjoy the fact that players may begin to workout and a season is looking very likely to happen.
