Following their Super Bowl XLVII victory and an array of changes this offseason, the Ravens will return to Owings Mills for the start of the voluntary offseason workout program on Monday.
Coach John Harbaugh and his staff will begin the first phase of the workout program, which is limited to two weeks of conditioning and strength training as well as physical rehabilitation. Many notable players and young players alike will be present on the first day.
“It’s officially the first day we work towards defending our title,” wide receiver Torrey Smith wrote on his official Twitter account on Monday morning.
The second phase of the offseason schedule covers the next three weeks of the program. On-field workouts that include individual player instruction and drills as well as a practice conducted on a “separate” basis are permitted, but no live contact or team offense against team defense drills are allowed.
The final phase of the offseason program consists of the next four weeks. During this period, teams may conduct a total of 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 acceptable.
Nearly all workouts are considered “voluntary” by definition, but it’s expected for players to attend regularly. In recent years, Harbaugh has praised his players for their attendance for offseason workouts.
The league’s collective bargaining agreement permits one mandatory minicamp for veteran players, which may occur during the third phase of the offseason. New head coaches are allowed to hold an additional voluntary minicamp for veterans.
Each club may also 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 held on weekends except one post-draft rookie minicamp, which may be conducted on either the first or second weekend following the draft.
The date of the post-draft rookie minicamp will be released at a later date.
Here is the Ravens’ 2013 offseason training program schedule that was released earlier this month by the NFL:
First Day: April 15
OTA Offseason Workouts: May 21-23, May 29-31, June 4-7
Mandatory Minicamp: June 11-13
