Washington Redskins players will gather for informal practices next week as they try to salvage something from an offseason that appears all but lost to the ongoing lockout.
Players are planning to meet at a Northern Virginia high school for three days of workouts beginning Tuesday, special teams captain Lorenzo Alexander said.
In a normal offseason, the team would be in the middle of a series of organized team activities, minicamps and strength-and-conditioning sessions at team headquarters. However, the lockout has prevented players from accessing Redskins Park and communicating with coaches since it began March 12, except for a window of a few hours last month.
By gathering on their own, players at least can review plays and build some chemistry. And next week, some of the Redskins’ 12 draft picks will be introduced to the team’s offensive and defensive systems.
“I’m working on getting on some of the base stuff we run so they can have a foundation when we start training camp,” Alexander said.
Outside linebacker Ryan Kerrigan, Washington’s first-round pick in last month’s draft, is planning to attend to the workout, according to two sources with knowledge of the situation. Defensive end Jarvis Jenkins, a second-round pick, is still deciding whether he will participate.
This will be the Redskins’ second round of informal practices this offseason.
Approximately 30 players gathered at a local high school during two days in April. They performed individual position drills and some seven-on-seven team drills. Both practices lasted little more than an hour.
Besides that, players have been training in small groups on their own and in various parts of the country.
Plans for this set of informal practices already were in motion before the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Monday upheld a temporary stay of the lockout, Alexander said. The court of appeals is scheduled on June 3 to hear the NFL’s appeal of a lower court’s ruling to lift the lockout.
Next week’s informal workouts are closed to the public, as they will be on school grounds while school is in session.
• Rich Campbell can be reached at rcampbell@washingtontimes.com.
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