Important dates to know for Cowboys’ offseason workouts, OTAs, and camps

It seems like just yesterday that Dallas Cowboys fans were suffering the frustrating loss in the Wild Card Round to the San Francisco 49ers. Now, all of a sudden it’s April. Free agency is well underway. The NFL Combine came and went. The 2022 NFL Draft is about to happen. The start of the 2022 season is here and it’s time to put 2021 behind us.

Before we can skip ahead to September, the current roster and soon-to-be drafted players will head to Oxnard, California, to participate in spring workouts, minicamps, OTAs, and more. The NFL released a full list of offseason workout dates for all 32 teams. The Cowboys’ schedule was revealed and we wanted to give you a place to keep track of all of the important dates so that you can keep up with your favorite team and what they are doing during training camp this year.

Remember that teams who have a new head coach are allowed to start two weeks earlier than others. So, some NFL teams have already begun their offseason training. That, of course, doesn’t apply to the Cowboys.

Here are the dates we know for the Cowboys so far:

First Day: April 18
OTAs: May 24-25, June 1-2, June 9-10
Mandatory minicamp: June 14-16

While captains’ workouts are already underway (including players like Dak Prescott and DeMarcus Lawrence), the rest of the team does not have to report until mid-April. These captains’ workouts are player-led, non-coached, and held at The Star.

Dallas Cowboys workouts, minicamps, and OTA dates revealed for the three phases of the 2022 offseason schedule

According to the league, the dates above follow the offseason’s three phases. These phases segment out the type of work that can be done within the date range. Let’s go over what all of that means.

Phase I (April 18-29): During these first two weeks of offseason programming, players will only be participating in strength and conditioning and rehabilitation activities. There will be meetings as well.

Phase II (May 2-20): The next three weeks of the offseason will allow on-field workouts. Those workouts are limited to individual player instruction and drills. There are no live contract or offense vs. defense drills at this time. Any drills done will involve offensive players lining up against offensive players and the same with the defense. These will all be done at a walk-through pace.

Phase III (May 23-June 17): This is the last four weeks of programming. Dallas can have a total of 10 days of organized team practice activity (OTAs). There is still no live contact allowed. Drills permitted are 7-on-7, 9-on-7, and 11-on-11. Mini mandatory camps are also held during this phase from June 14 to 16.

The only dates missing from this piece are for the rookie minicamp. These minicamps occur for a seven-week period and can start around May 16. Dates for the Cowboys’ rookie program will be announced later.