The first two phases of their voluntary offseason workout program are in the rear-view mirror, now it is time for the New England Patriots to increase the intensity once again. On Monday, the team will hold its first organized team activity of the year.
Like the rest of the offseason program with the exception of mandatory minicamp in June, participation at OTAs is strictly voluntary. That said, the expectation is that most if not all of the healthy players on New England’s roster will be in attendance once again.
Starting with Monday’s workout, the Patriots will be holding nine OTA sessions over a three-week period:
May 19 (Mon), May 20 (Tue), May 22 (Thu)
May 27 (Tue), May 28 (Wed), May 30 (Fri)
June 2 (Mon), June 3 (Tue), June 5 (Thu)
According to the team, the sessions on May 20, May 28 and June 2 will be open to the media.
Organized team activities and the subsequent mandatory minicamp on June 9-11 will be the first time this offseason that teams are allowed to run 7-on-7, 9-on-7, and 11-on-11 drills in practice. Full pads or live contact are not permitted, however.
The Patriots are one of seven teams opening their OTAs this week.
The Dallas Cowboys, Jacksonville Jaguars and Las Vegas Raiders will also get started on Monday. The Chicago Bears, New Orleans Saints and New York Jets, meanwhile, will hold their first sessions on Tuesday.