ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — The Buffalo Bills' offseason still is built around COVID-19 protocols, which have dominated the NFL for the past 12 months.
Right now, Bills players are taking place in voluntary offseason workouts. The NFL has divided these different workouts into three different phases within nine weeks, which also fall in line with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines.
Phase One (per NFL):
April 19-May 14
This period lasts two to four weeks and focuses more on strength and conditioning including rehab. This also included the start of rookie minicamp, which ran from May 14 through May 16.
Phase Two (per NFL):
May 17-May 21
Changed to one week, which includes on-field workouts and drills. Also, 11-on-11 drills are allowed to be ran with defensive and offensive players. They are only done at “walk-through” pace and not at full-practice speed.
Phase Three (per NFL):
May 24-June 18
The final phase is for a month. This entire phase can be in-person with practice and in “classroom” settings. Teams are allowed ten days of organized practices with no live contact. Per the NFL, “7-on-7, 9-on-7, and 11-on-11” is allowed. These practices are still voluntary and not mandatory.
All players are required to return for a mandatory minicamp starting June 15 through June 17.
