An NFL offseason program consists of three phases, and it may include a three-day rookie orientation as well as one mandatory minicamp for veteran players.
The Steelers recently set the dates for their 2014 offseason program.
According to the rules of the Collective Bargaining Agreement, Phase One consists of the first two weeks of the program with activities limited to strength and conditioning and physical rehabilitation only. This will begin for the Steelers on Tuesday, April 22.
Phase Two consists of the next three weeks of the program. On-field workouts may include individual player instruction and drills as well as team practice conducted on what the CBA refers to as a "separates" basis. No live contact or team offense vs. team defense drills are permitted. Phase Two begins on Monday, May 5 for the Steelers and runs right up to the Memorial Day weekend.
The NFL Draft will be held on Thursday-Saturday, May 8-10, and the Steelers will hold their rookie orientation the following weekend – May 16-18.
Phase Three of the offseason program consists of the next four weeks, which is also when teams may conduct a total of 10 days of organized team practice activity, or OTAs. During OTAs, there is no live contact permitted, but 7-on-7, 9-on-7, and 11-on-11 drills are allowed.
The Steelers will begin their OTAs on Tuesday, May 27 – the day after Memorial Day – and they will have three sessions that week, three more the following week, and then four the week after that. The specific dates for the Steelers' 10 OTAs are May 27, May 28, May 29, June 3, June 4, June 5, June 9, June 10, June 11, and June 12.
The offseason program then will conclude with a mandatory three-day minicamp on June 17-19.
When minicamp is over, then there is close to a month before training camp opens at Saint Vincent College.
