NFL Coaching Staffs Can Return to Team Facilities Beginning on June 5

The NFL told coaches in a memo sent out Thursday that they will be permitted to return to team facilities beginning Friday amid the coronavirus pandemic.

NFL Network's Ian Rapoport tweeted part of the memo:

The NFL added that facilities will now be permitted to have as many as 100 people in the building at the same time provided the city or state the facilities are located in have granted that permission as well.

While coaches can begin filing into team facilities, the NFL still hasn't given clearance for players to join them.

Rapoport reported that the San Francisco 49ers are the only team not expected to be able to have coaches in their facility Friday. Even so, Rapoport noted that the organization is "aware and supportive of the plan and has been in communication with its local authorities to obtain all necessary permissions when available."

COVID-19 has had a significant impact on the offseason programs for NFL teams, as they have been forced to conduct meetings virtually rather than in person. There were also no OTAs following the 2020 NFL draft, so teams are well behind where they would normally be in terms of preparation.

Allowing coaches to return to team facilities is the first of many steps toward a more traditional offseason. The next step may involve at least a percentage of players being allowed to enter the building, and then the NFL can potentially get to work on devising a plan to allow teams to hold actual on-field practices.

Despite the uncertainty that the coronavirus has caused in the sports world, it has mostly been business as usual for the NFL.

The league went ahead with the draft under a virtual format and released the full 2020 regular-season schedule after that. It remains unclear if fans will be able to attend games at the start of the season, but the NFL has every intention of starting on time.

Teams that already have chemistry and continuity from last season could be at a major advantage entering the 2020 campaign, especially if training camp and the preseason schedule are condensed.

Although official on-field practices remain banned by the NFL, many players have taken it upon themselves to link up with their teammates and work out privately, which means they have at least some semblance of preparation under their belts aside from the virtual meetings.

As of now, the Pittsburgh Steelers and Dallas Cowboys are scheduled to kick off the preseason slate on Aug. 6, while the Kansas City Chiefs are scheduled to host the Houston Texans in the regular-season opener on Sept. 10.