The Patriots announced the dates for their offseason program Thursday.

The program will open April 7 with voluntary workouts and classroom work, then a voluntary minicamp April 22-24.

Voluntary practices, or Organized Team Activities (OTAs), will be held May 19-20, May 22, May 27-28, May 30, June 2-3 and June 5.

A mandatory minicamp will run June 9-11. None of these practices will be open to the public, and only a few will be open to reporters. The team will then take a long break before training camp, which will begin in late July.

On Thursday, offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels spoke about his connection to the three Patriots’ free-agent additions — linebacker Robert Spillane, wide receiver Mack Hollins and safety Marcus Epps — who played under him in Las Vegas: “Good football players, super individuals, really high character, care a lot about the little things and the details. They set a high bar for the standard in their rooms and what they expect from themselves, and I think that then relates to their teammates on their respective sides of the ball. I think all of them are about the right stuff. They play hard, they do the things that it requires to be good, and I’m excited about having an opportunity to work with them again here.” … Patriots special teams coordinator Jeremy Springer and several defensive assistant coaches are scheduled to meet the media at 1 p.m. Friday.