Undergoing their most drastic changes since the offseason immediately following Super Bowl XLVII, the defending AFC North champion Ravens officially begin preparations for the 2019 season in two weeks.
The opening phase of the nine-week offseason workout program begins April 15 and is two weeks consisting of only conditioning, strength training, and physical rehabilitation. Most young players and many notable veterans are typically present for the first day, but all of these workouts are officially voluntary.
The next phase of the offseason schedule occurs over three weeks. On-field workouts including individual player drills and instruction as well as team practices conducted on a “separate” basis are permitted, but no live contact or team offense against team defense drills are allowed.
The third phase of the offseason program covers the final four weeks. During this time, teams may conduct 10 days of organized team practice activity, or OTAs. No live contact is allowed, but 7-on-7, 9-on-7, and 11-on-11 drills are permitted.
Though these workouts are all voluntary by definition of the collective bargaining agreement, coaching staffs privately expect players to attend regularly with few exceptions. The CBA allows for a mandatory three-day minicamp for veteran players, which takes place during the third phase of the offseason.
None of these practices are open to the public, but the NFL mandates clubs to open at least one of every three OTA days to local media. All three days of the mandatory minicamp must also be open to local reporters.
Each club may conduct a rookie football development program for a period of seven weeks, which may begin on May 13. During this period, no activities may be conducted on weekends except one post-draft rookie minicamp, which may be scheduled on either the first or second weekend after the draft. The dates for Baltimore’s rookie minicamp have not yet been announced, but it usually falls on the first weekend after the draft.
Below is the Ravens’ 2019 offseason training program schedule that was released Monday by the NFL: First Day: April 15 OTA Offseason Workouts: May 20-21, May 23, May 28, May 30-31, June 3-4, June 6-7 Mandatory Minicamp: June 11-13
