You always know it's football season when the information for training camp comes out. The Chicago Bears concluded their final veteran minicamp this week. Now players and coaches will have 40 days off until they reconvene next month for the real work. One can safely say most of them won't use all of those days to relax. Most will continue their rigorous preparation for what figures to be a high-intensity camp under head coach Matt Eberflus. He's already built a reputation as somebody who works his players hard.
The team has released the information on their website. Tickets become available on July 6th. Players report on the 25th, while the first practice open to the public will be the 27th. Unfortunately, there will only be nine such practices this year because the Bears are holding joint practices with the Indianapolis Colts.
"Chicago Bears Training Camp will be held at Halas Hall from July 26 through August 14. During this period, there will be nine public Training Camp practices.
All public practices require a FREE ticket for entry. Tickets are first come, first served, and practice attendance will be limited to provide the best fan experience. Tickets for all public training camp dates will be made available starting Thursday, July 6, at 10 a.m. (CT). Fans can select up to 4 tickets per event date, based on availability; all tickets will be distributed as mobile tickets."
One merciful benefit is Family Fest at Soldier Field being on a weekend, which should allow more fans to attend. With excitement building for such a young team, the rush for tickets figures to be strong.
The Chicago Bears sacrificed open practices for good reason.
Head coach Matt Eberflus said the joint practices with Indianapolis can be crucial to roster evaluation. It gives the coaching staff an opportunity to see their players go up against the best of another team, something different and unfamiliar. Anything to give Bears players an extra advantage going into opening day against the Green Bay Packers. Either way, fans will have plenty of opportunities to watch their team put things together for what figures to be a step forward in 2023.
After tearing things down last season, GM Ryan Poles has infused the roster with lots of young, athletic talent. The trenches saw the arrivals of Darnell Wright and Gervon Dexter as 1st and 2nd round picks. D.J. Moore comes from Carolina to bolster the receiving corps. The Chicago Bears have several young pieces in the secondary. Pro Bowl linebacker Tremaine Edmunds signed as a free agent. This may not be a playoff team yet, but August should show signs of it being a much better one.
