On Monday, six more NFL teams with new head coaches kick off voluntary offseason workouts.
The Denver Broncos, Houston Texans, Jacksonville Jaguars, Las Vegas Raiders, Minnesota Vikings and Tampa Bay Buccaneers begin their offseason programs.
Each club is entitled to a nine-week voluntary offseason program. Teams with new head coaches can kick off their workout sessions earlier than the rest of the league. The Chicago Bears, Miami Dolphins, New Orleans Saints and New York Giants began workouts last week.
Much of the rest of the NFL will begin offseason workouts next week. The Cincinnati Bengals are the latest to begin their voluntary program, which starts May 2.
Phase One of the voluntary program covers the first two weeks with activities limited to meetings, strength and conditioning and physical rehab only.
There won't be actual football done on the field, but teams will begin installing their playbooks and covering ground in meetings. These meeting times are especially valuable for new coaching staffs to get to know their players and establish their plans for the upcoming season.
If the previous four mentions in this post weren't enough, it's worth reiterating that these workout programs are voluntary at this stage. It isn't until mandatory minicamps in June that veterans will be compelled to attend in Phase Three of the program.
