A year ago at this time, we were a month into the COVID-19 pandemic and had no clear idea of exactly how long it would last. There were hopes that things would be back to "normal" by the summer, or certainly by the start of the NFL season.
That, of course, didn't end up being the case.
NFL offseason training activities were virtual, and training camp was very much abridged. There were no preseason games or big scrimmages. It was an unusually quiet spring and summer for the NFL, as many braced for the possibility that football wouldn't even happen in the fall, or at least not an entire season.