What to Expect As Buffalo Bills Open Offseason Workout Program

Just like that, football is back.

The Buffalo Bills will open their offseason workout program on Tuesday at the team’s training facility in Orchard Park, this time with a new face at the helm as Joe Brady takes the reins.

The team’s organized training regimen is voluntary. Still, you can expect Josh Allen and many of the Bills’ other significant contributors to be in attendance, as has been the case in the past. Buffalo is permitted to open its program two weeks before most other NFL teams due to Brady being a first-year head coach, and here’s what they will be looking forward to over the next few months.

First day feeling

Bills running back James Cook turns upfield after catching a pass during practice. | Jamie Germano/Democrat and Chronicle / USA TODAY NETWORK

During Phase One of the process, the Bills will be limited to meetings, strength and conditioning work, and physical rehabilitation only over a two-week period, as per Article 21 of the league’s Collective Bargaining Agreement.

Before moving to the next section of the program, the Bills will be one of 10 teams to host a veteran minicamp, another advantage provided to those with first-year head coaches trying to ingratiate themselves in their new roles. Buffalo’s voluntary minicamp is scheduled from Apr. 20-22.

Then comes Phase Two, a three-week period during which on-field workouts will begin, including individual or group instructions and drills, all conducted at a walk-through pace. Per the CBA, no live contact or team offense vs. team defense drills are allowed.

Bills tight end Dalton Kincaid stays in stride to catch this pass during practice. | Jamie Germano/Democrat and Chronicle / USA TODAY NETWORK

Finally, Phase Three takes place over the next four weeks, when teams can hold up to 10 days of Organized Team Activities (OTAs), which can include 7-on-7, 9-on-7 and 11-on-11 drills without live contact.

The Bills have scheduled their OTAs for May 18-19, May 21, May 26-28, and June 1-4.

The team will wrap up its offseason with a three-day mandatory minicamp from June 9-11. There is no live contact permitted during minicamp, where players and coaches make their final preparations before an extended break leading into training camp in late July.

Change coming

Bills offensive coordinator Joe Brady calls out during drills on the opening day of Buffalo Bills training camp. | Shawn Dowd/Rochester Democrat and Chronicle / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

With Brady seizing leadership after former head coach Sean McDermott was fired, things will start to look a bit different in Buffalo. Brady will begin to put his stamp on the organization as he is expected to bring a different energy to a team in need of a jolt.

So, while the pads may not pop for a few more months, the action will return to One Bills Drive in the coming weeks, pointing to the outset of a critical 2026 campaign in Buffalo. It’s time this team got over the hump, and the process toward doing so starts with the offseason program.

Sign up to our free newsletter and follow us on Facebook, X and Instagram for the latest news.