:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/69342564/1158945947.0.jpg)
Training camp for the Cleveland Browns is always a special time for the fans of Cleveland’s No. 1 sports team.
That experience will be even bigger this year after the COVID-19 pandemic kept the fans away in 2020.
While the Browns have not released the exact details of this summer’s training camp schedule, we now know the date of when things can start as the NFL announced on Tuesday that 29 of the league’s 32 teams can begin training camp on July 27.
For the first time, the NFL will have a unified start to training camp, with 29 teams set to report Tuesday, July 27 -- 47 days before the Sunday of Week 1, as allowed by the CBA -- and plans for league-wide practices and fan events Saturday, July 31.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) May 25, 2021
Midsummer Madness, anyone?
The league is also planning fan events and league-wide practices for July 31 as teams look to return to some form of normalcy after a 2020 season that was drastically altered by COVID-19.
In addition, fans across the league will be allowed to return to training camps this summer, subject to state and local COVID-19 guidelines, according to Grant Gordon at NFL.com.
Gordon also reported that the league is still working out the various protocols for training camp with the NFL Players Association, with the expectation that fans may not have as much close contact with players as in previous years.
The Browns are also one of the 30 teams that have received clearance to open their stadiums to 100 percent capacity this fall, according to NFL Network’s Judy Battista:
NFL team presidents told on a call today 30 of 32 teams already have approval for full capacity stadiums at start of preseason, remaining two (Denver & Indy) on track. NFL’s Peter O’Reilly said training camps can have fans in attendance. Most camps will open July 31.
— Judy Battista (@judybattista) May 25, 2021
The only teams still waiting for approval are the Denver Broncos and Indianapolis Colts.
Training camp is always one of the most anticipated events of the summer in Cleveland, and with the Browns expected to contend for a Super Bowl appearance this season and fans being allowed back after a year off, the energy in Berea this summer will be at an all-time high.