Tag: bears otas

7 things to watch as Bears begin OTAs

With OTAs underway for the Bears, here are some storylines to monitor throughout offseason workouts.

The Chicago Bears have started the next phase of their offseason program with organized team activities (OTAs) at Halas Hall.

The Bears will meet as a team, veterans and rookies, for 10 voluntary workouts at Halas Hall. Those voluntary practices will be held from May 22-23, May 25, May 30-June 1 and June 5-8.

General manager Ryan Poles has added a slew of new faces to the roster, and they should serve impact roles for Chicago this season. There are a number of storylines to monitor throughout the offseason, including the progression of Justin Fields and plenty of competition across the board.

Here’s what we’ll be watching as the Bears begin OTAs this week:

Bears’ 53-man roster projection as OTAs get underway

With OTAs underway, here’s a look at our early 53-man roster projection for the Bears.

The Chicago Bears have kicked off the next phase of their offseason program with organized team activities (OTAs) at Halas Hall.

The Bears will meet as a team, new rookies included, beginning May 22 for the first of 10 voluntary OTA practices at Halas Hall, which will include veterans and rookies. Those voluntary practices will be held from May 22-23, May 25, May 30-June 1 and June 5-8.

Chicago will wrap things up with veteran minicamp from June 13-15.

With OTAs underway, here’s a look at our early 53-man roster projection for the Bears.

14 Bears free agents remain unsigned as OTAs begin

As the Bears kick off OTAs, here’s a look at their remaining free agents who are still unsigned.

The next phase of the Chicago Bears’ offseason kicks off with organized team activities (OTAs) on Monday.

General manager Ryan Poles continued to retool the roster this offseason with an influx of new faces in free agency, as well as his second NFL draft class. Outside of adding another veteran edge rusher and some depth pieces, Chicago appears all but set with their current roster.

Here’s a look at the 14 Bears free agents who are still available on the free agent market:

Bears’ 90-man offseason roster by jersey number ahead of OTAs

As the Bears kick off OTAs, here’s Chicago’s 90-man offseason roster organized by jersey number.

The Chicago Bears kick off the third phase of their offseason program this week with the start of Organized Team Activities (OTAs) at Halas Hall.

The Bears will conduct 10 OTA practices — May 22-23, May 26, May 30-31, June 1 and June 5-8. That’s followed up by mandatory minicamp from June 13-15, which will be the last official offseason work before they break ahead of training camp in late July.

There have been some new additions to the roster since the 2023 NFL draft, which includes new rookies and veteran signings.

With that in mind, here’s the latest look at the Bears’ 90-man offseason roster by jersey number:

Bears’ projected offensive depth chart before OTAs

Ahead of OTAs next week, we’re projecting what the Bears’ offensive depth chart looks like.

The Chicago Bears are gearing up for the start of organized team activities (OTAs), which kick off May 22.

General manager Ryan Poles shored up some holes on offense with the additions of wide receiver DJ Moore, offensive linemen Darnell Wright and Nate Davis, as well as tight end Robert Tonyan.

Chicago’s offense is expected to make strides this season, where quarterback Justin Fields will be looking to take a step forward in a pivotal Year 3 with an upgraded supporting cast around him.

We’re projecting what the Bears’ offensive depth chart looks like ahead of OTAs, where the starting lineup appears to be set.

Eddie George, Randy Shannon join Bears as part of Bill Walsh Diversity Coaching Fellowship

Eddie George and Randy Shannon are joining the Bears coaching staff for OTAs as part of the Bill Walsh Diversity Coaching Fellowship.

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The Chicago Bears have announced that Eddie George and Randy Shannon will be joining their coaching staff this summer as part of the Bill Walsh Diversity Coaching Fellowship.

George and Shannon will work with the coaching staff during Organized Team Activities (OTAs), which kicks off May 22. George will join the staff on May 15 for two weeks.

“We are very excited to welcome these two highly talented coaches in Eddie and Randy. Allowing them to join our staff during our OTAs enables us to offer this unique opportunity to current college coaches during their offseason,” said head coach Matt Eberflus, via ChicagoBears.com. “We are confident that these coaches will be great assets to our team during their time here, and we are looking forward to learning from them as well.”

George, a former NFL running back for nine years, currently serves as the head coach at Tennessee State University.

Shannon, who boasts 31 years of coaching experience, currently serves as co-defensive coordinator/linebackers coach at Florida State.

The Bears will also host six additional fellows during veteran minicamp (June 13-15) and training camp (late July). Those hires will be announced in June, per the team’s official site.

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Stock up, stock down following Bears offseason program

Now that the dust has settled on the offseason program, we’re taking a look at which Bears saw their stock rise and which saw it fall.

The Chicago Bears wrapped mandatory minicamp last week — and with it their offseason program. Now, they get an extended summer break before returning to Halas Hall for training camp on July 26.

It was certainly an eventful offseason to say the least, which included plenty of change ranging from a new regime to the departures of key veterans and the addition of some younger faces.

There were plenty of storylines that unfolded during the course of organized team activities and mandatory minicamp, including some that are expected to carry over into training camp.

Now that the dust has settled on the offseason program, we’re taking a look at which players saw their stock rise and which players saw their stock dip ahead of training camp.

10 things we learned about the Bears this offseason

The Bears wrapped their offseason program last week. We’re breaking down what we learned over the course of OTAs and minicamp.

The Chicago Bears wrapped their offseason program following the conclusion of their three-day mandatory minicamp. Now, they have a six-week summer break before returning to Halas Hall for training camp in late July.

There were no shortage of storylines during the offseason program, which included some shakeups along the offensive line, the emergence of a number of rookies and a new culture set in place by head coach Matt Eberflus.

When looking at everything that transpired during the offseason program — between rookie minicamp, organized team activities and mandatory minicamp –there’s plenty of questions still lingering ahead of training camp.

Here are 10 things we learned about the Bears this offseason:

10 takeaways from Bears’ OTA practices

The Bears have wrapped OTAs, and there was plenty to digest. Here’s what we learned from their three weeks of practice.

The Chicago Bears have wrapped their Organized Team Activities following Thursday’s practice at Halas Hall, and it was certainly an eventful three weeks for Matt Eberflus’ team.

The Bears conducted nine OTA practices over the last several weeks, where veterans and rookies continue to learn their new respective schemes. They forfeited Tuesday’s practice after violating offseason rules involving contact during May practices.

There were plenty of storylines over the last few weeks, including a couple of starters working the second team, Justin Fields’ continued development and the new culture taking shape under Eberflus.

Before the Bears kick off mandatory minicamp next Tuesday, here’s a look at what we learned from their three-week session of OTAs:

Bears players attribute illegal contact during OTAs to hungry mentality

Bears TE Cole Kmet: “We’ve got a lot of young guys. New coach, new everything. Guys are coming in to prove themselves, including me.”

The Chicago Bears were forced to forfeit Tuesday’s OTA practice after violating offseason rules involving contact during May practices, as laid out in the collective bargaining agreement.

Dan Wiederer of the Chicago Tribune explained that the Bears were issued a warning for having practices with too much contact. When they failed to make adjustments, the NFL stepped in and decided they were in violation of league rules.

Head coach Matt Eberflus said there weren’t any fines to him or the organization — outside of the one forfeited practice — and that the team has learned how to practice full speed without contact.

Tight end Cole Kmet attributed the illegal contact during practice to the hungry mentality of the young players, including himself, looking to prove themselves to the new regime.

“You’ve got to look at our situation right now,” Kmet said. “We’ve got a lot of young guys, right? New coach, new everything. Guys are coming in to prove themselves, including me. I’m not going to ease up, first of all because I don’t want to get hurt. That’s how you get hurt; you’re not going 100 percent.

“And guys want to show what they’ve got. We don’t have as many vets as we’ve had in years past. We’re a younger team. It’s kind of just where we’re at right now. Guys are learning. I thought these last two practices we’ve had [Monday and Wednesday] have been night and day in terms of how to practice without pads on.”

Whitehair echoed the sentiment, explaining that intense practices are exactly what this young team needs.

“This team is young and we kind of need that intense practice and expectation from the group,” Whitehair said. “We do have a lot of young guys and the expectations are high, so you’ve got to expect an intense practice. I feel like the guys have really worked hard and have gotten a lot out of it.”

The Bears return to Halas Hall next week for a three-day mandatory minicamp beginning Tuesday before breaking for the summer.

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