When it comes down to it, OTAs and mandatory minicamp are really just eye candy for football fans. You see players on the field running and making cuts, but the practices are clearly missing a very important element — pads. Those are something you only get when training camp rolls around.
The Green Bay Packers will begin training camp on July 26, but the pads usually don’t come on until the fourth practice or so.
For a lot of players, that will be their time to show the coaching staff what they’re really made of.