Last year’s offseason was an odd one for fans, and the season got weirder. Eventually, people returned to most every NFL stadium on at least a limited basis, but nobody got to head to training camp in 2020, leaving Falcons fans pining over the experience of baking in the sun on the hill next to Flowery Branch practice fields while watching the team run through drills.
The good news is that the decline of COVID-19 cases and the rise of vaccinations will make it possible for fans to return to training camp in 2021, assuming their states and cities sign off on it. We don’t have the Falcons training camp schedule yet, but you may want to clear your calendars in late July and early August.
Welcome back! The NFL told clubs on a call today it expects fans to return to training camp this summer, subject to state and local guidelines, according to the league's executive VP of club business and league events, Peter O’Reilly.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) May 25, 2021
This will be a welcome return for fans, and a return to something resembling normalcy will be a welcome thing for players and coaches who endured daily COVID-19 tests. It’ll also be welcome for reporters who were limited in the observations they got to deliver from camp, and for those of us looking for direct updates. So long as it remains safe to go back, the first training camp for the new regime and many new players will be as exciting as it ought to be.
Details and schedules have yet to be hammered out, of course, but in the midst of a week of disconcerting reports and rumors, it’s a bit of actual good news. Will you be heading to training camp in 2021?