NFL Issues Rules for Players, Teams During ‘Pre-Phase One’ Period Amid Hiatus

Ron Schwane/Associated Press

The NFL is adjusting on the fly as the coronavirus pandemic impacts the sports world, and the league outlined a set of rules to follow for the time being.

Brooke Pryor of ESPN shared the email players all received Monday that provided those rules for what the NFL called the “pre-phase one time period” with club facilities closed and offseason activities indefinitely postponed:

Brooke Pryor @bepryor

Email sent to all NFL players tonight on the 2020 dead period rules ⬇️ https://t.co/LL0A3jIWqD

As of now, players cannot participate in practices, film studies or workouts with any coach, even virtually. Coaches cannot supervise workouts, but strength and conditioning coaches can send equipment, answer questions and send suggested workouts.

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Teams can provide players with a video that includes features such as coaching instructions, diagrams and written commentary, but they cannot discipline those players based on how often they use the video since all participation is voluntary during this time period.

ESPN noted the league and its players association have held discussions about how coaches can communicate with players using video conferencing, but such practices are not allowed for now until an agreement is reached.

While this is a challenging situation for every team across the league, some will be put to the test more than others.

The Carolina Panthers, Dallas Cowboys, Cleveland Browns, New York Giants and Washington all have new head coaches who are missing key development time with their new players, while quarterbacks such as Tom Brady (Tampa Bay Buccaneers), Philip Rivers (Indianapolis Colts), Teddy Bridgewater (Panthers) and Nick Foles (Chicago Bears) are unable to work on routes with their new receivers.

Teams with veteran coaches and quarterbacks in place who are accustomed to the systems they run are at an advantage, as there is a less pressing need to learn a new offense and implement it during the offseason.

This comes after NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell sent a memo to every team saying the April 23-25 draft will be “fully virtual,” per Tom Pelissero of NFL Network.

While free agency continued and the draft will still happen during this unusual offseason for the league, there have been a number of changes that will test teams leading into the 2020 campaign.

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