The Indianapolis Colts will be back on the field during the month of April as the offseason workout program is set to ramp up ahead of the 2023 NFL draft.
Teams that are bringing in a new head coach will have the opportunity to begin their offseason workouts early in order to get a leg up on getting settled. The Colts are one of those teams after hiring Shane Steichen as the new head coach this offseason.
Considering all the installs taking place, we should expect the Colts to be doing all they can to get in as much work as possible over the next two-plus months before breaking for summer.
Here’s a quick look at the schedule for the Colts entering the 2023 offseason workouts:
First Day: April 10
The offseason workout program for the Colts will begin on April 10. This gives the veterans a chance to get back in the building for the first time to do some strength and conditioning. This is considered Phase One of the offseason workout plan, which is limited to only lifting and rehab. Phase One lasts around two weeks.
Phase Two of the offseason workout program will take place over the next three weeks to follow. Individual and group drills can take place for the first time but there won’t be any live contact. Additionally, the offense can run drills against the offense and the defense can run drills against the defense.
Voluntary Minicamp
Dates: April 24-26
An added perk of bringing in a new head coach gives the Colts an opportunity to conduct a voluntary minicamp over the course of three days. It seems the Colts opted for that addition, and it will take place during the week leading up to the 2023 NFL draft, which is scheduled to begin April 27.
Per the NFL memo: “New head coaches are entitled to conduct an additional voluntary veteran minicamp. Any voluntary minicamp for veteran players must be conducted prior to the NFL Draft (April 27-29), but no earlier than week three of the club’s offseason workout program and after at least one week of the two weeks of Phase One activities that the clubs may hold pursuant to Article 21. This year, eight clubs will hold voluntary veteran minicamps, as noted below.”
Offseason OTA workouts
Dates: May 23-25, May 31-June 2, June 5-8
Each team gets 10 “organized team activity” sessions following the draft. This is considered Phase Three of the program and it will be the first time that the team will be together while the rookies are included. No live contact is permitted but the team can begin running drills against each other.
Given the new offense being installed under a new head coach, we should expect a lot of 7-on-7 and 11-on-11 drills this offseason.
Mandatory Minicamp
Dates: June 13-15
The Colts will have the opportunity to hold a mandatory minicamp for three days. It’s essentially an extension of OTAs and must be held during Phase Three of the offseason program. The final minicamp practice on June 15 will be the final time the Colts are together until reporting for training camp.
