The NFL announced training camp report dates for every team this week, and the Bears will get back to work earlier than most.
Bears rookies will be due back at Halas Hall on July 16, while veterans get to enjoy a few extra days on holiday. The vets don’t have to report until July 19.
Most NFL teams are requiring their players to be back in-house until July 23 or 24, but the Bears need to get started sooner because they’ll participate in the Hall of Fame game this year. That’s an extra preseason match in Canton, OH, which takes place one week before the rest of the NFL preseason.
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Training camp is where the Bears will do the bulk of their work to get in shape for Week 1, both mentally and physically. The team will ramp up from practicing in shorts and tee shirts, to shells and finally full pads. This is also the first time that the team will be allowed to practice with “live” tackling– if head coach Matt Eberflus chooses.
The Hall of Fame game takes place on Aug. 1 and the Bears finally play their first regular season game on Sept. 8.