A Timeline For How Patriots Training Camp Will Begin

Before any NFL players, coaches or staffers hit the practice field for the 2020 season, they must first be tested for COVID-19 to ensure they are healthy and won't spread the infectious disease.

That's why the New England Patriots' schedule to begin training camp is rather simple and shows how no player will hit the practice field until next week at the earliest.

Here's a schedule for how this week will play out for Patriots players at Gillette Stadium, according to ESPN's Mike Reiss:

Monday

- Rookies and quarterbacks will report for their COVID-19 testing and then will leave the facility afterwards.

Tuesday

- Remainder of the team will report for their COVID-19 testing and then will leave the facility afterwards.

Friday (or possibly Saturday)

- Players with two negative tests during the week will gain access to the facility.

Gaining access to the facility will allow players to use the weight room, film room, have access to the team's athletic trainers, etc. But in order to use those parts of the facility, a player must test negative for the coronavirus two separate times.

According to the NFL's transaction wire, there have been six players in the NFL that have tested positive for COVID-19 and as a result have been placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list (which is list created for teams that want to sideline a player that tests positive or has been quarantined after being in close contact with an infected person(s)), while also adding another player to their roster without going over the roster size limit. Players added to that list can then be removed once they test negative twice.

Based on how widespread the disease has been throughout the country, it would not be surprising to see at least one Patriots player test positive for the disease.