Mandatory Work Scrubbed from Eagles Offseason

This time last year the NFL and the NFLPA were again haggling over COVID-19 protocols that threatened offseason work.

One of Nick Sirianni’s first tests as a rookie head coach was convincing as many players as possible to get into the NovaCare Complex for voluntary work and Sirianni, and the organization, were able to accomplish an attendance figure that was close to 100% at times by erasing the one mandatory part of the offseason: the annual June minicamp.

Getting as many players in as possible was paramount for the team in the transition from the Doug Pederson era to Sirianni and his new staff.

With COVID protocols hopefully in the rear-view mirror for good in 2022, things were expected to return to normal this offseason and in most cities, that’s the case. The Eagles, however, are one of two teams, along with the AFC champion Cincinnati Bengals, that are skipping mandatory work this spring.

The NFL announced the offseason workout dates for each team Monday and the Eagles' schedule begins with a reporting date of April 25. That’s the latest start for any NFC team and No. 2 in the entire league with the Bengals getting started on May 2.

Philadelphia’s OTAs are set for May 31, June 2-3, and June 6-8. The team will then break until returning to the NovaCare Complex in late July for training camp.

A league source confirmed to SI.com's Eagles Today the dates and the fact that the Eagles will again be skipping mandatory work for the third consecutive spring dating back to the onset of the pandemic.

This time, however, the plan wasn’t a negotiation or a league-mandated reaction to COVID-19. The organization simply likes how last year went and is following a similar path with an eye on “prioritizing player health/performance,” according to the source.

There is a give and take to that sentiment with the idea that offseason work is not all that important to veteran players but could have a positive impact on rookies and young players.

The Eagles tend to be ahead of the curve in the NFL on these types of things and the league as a whole seems to be shifting to a more cautious approach in the face of the current realities when it comes to the ratio of allowed practice time vs. player safety.

The crux of that relates to the past two collective bargaining agreements between the NFL and the union which dramatically scaled back practice time.

The Eagles, spearheaded by chief medical officer Dr. Arsh Dhanota, have reacted to that by recommending shorter and less physical practices with a larger emphasis on walkthroughs and mental reps.

After that process was deemed a success in 2021 the Eagles are running it back in 2022.

-John McMullen contributes Eagles coverage for SI.com's Eagles Today and is the NFL Insider for JAKIB Media. You can listen to John, alongside legendary sports-talk host Jody McDonald every morning from 8-10 on ‘Birds 365,” streaming live on YouTube. John is also the host of his own show "Extending the Play" on AM1490 in South Jersey. You can reach him at jmcmullen44@gmail.com or on Twitter @JFMcMullen