Tampa Bay’s OTAs are officially underway after Tuesday’s initial session, but that wasn’t the only development of the day. Training camp start dates were also announced for both the Bucs and the rest of the NFL.
Per The NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, camp will be scheduled differently this year. 29 of the 32 teams will start training camp on July 27, as opposed to a mixture of days within the last week of July. It’s a bit different for the Bucs, Cowboys, and Steelers, however. Those three teams play in the Hall Of Fame Game and the season opener, so they are allowed to start earlier. The Cowboys and Steelers can start on July 21 whereas the Bucs are allowed to start on July 24.
Pelissero also notes that league-wide practices and fan events will begin on July 31, so it looks the NFL is going to hit the ground running this summer.
The #Cowboys and #Steelers can report as early as July 21 because of the hall of fame game. The #Bucs can report July 24 because of a Thursday opener. Players from the other 29 teams are required to report July 27, per the CBA.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) May 25, 2021
But wait. There’s more!
Fans will also be able to attend training camp not just for the Bucs, but for the rest of the NFL, as well. Per Pelissero, teams will still work in conjunction with state and local government guidelines, but the fans are officially back.
Welcome back! The NFL told clubs on a call today it expects fans to return to training camp this summer, subject to state and local guidelines, according to the league's executive VP of club business and league events, Peter O’Reilly.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) May 25, 2021
Go ahead and mark your calendar(s) appropriately. Football is back.
