Tag: Bears preseason

Former Bears RB Ryan Nall announces retirement

The former Bears preseason legend is hanging up his cleats.

A former Chicago Bears running back is calling it quits when it comes to his football career. On Monday, Ryan Nall announced on social media that he was retiring from the game of football. “You never think it’s time until it is. I’m retiring from the game of football,” he said in a post on X/Twitter. “Thank you all for the love and support over the years.”

Nall had plenty of that support when he was a member of the Bears. He was signed as an undrafted free agent out of Oregon State in 2018 and quickly became a fan favorite during the preseason. In his rookie year, Nall rushed for 223 yards and one touchdown during the preseason and stuck around on the practice squad for the season.

The 2019 preseason was much of the same for Nall. He totaled 135 rushing yards in four games, including a 70-yard run against the Colts. It was plays like those that endeared him to Bears fans and made coaches keep him around. Those plays eventually paid off for Nall.

From 2019 to 2021, Nall saw action during the regular season, becoming a staple on special teams and as a reserve running back. His best career game came in 2020, when he rushed four times for 35 yards and a touchdown in a 17-24 loss against the Tennessee Titans.

Nall never played another down in the NFL after the 2021 season. He signed with the Cowboys in the 2022 offseason but didn’t make the team. Then, in 2024, he signed with the Houston Roughnecks of the United Football League but was released before the season started.

Though he never made much of an impact in the regular season, Nall will go down as one of the more notable preseason standouts the Bears have had over the last 20 years.

Bears announce dates and times for 2023 preseason games

Mark your calendars for the Bears preseason games this summer.

Last week, the Chicago Bears unveiled their regular season schedule with dates and times finalized. Now it’s time for the preseason slate.

The Bears announced the dates and times for their three preseason games against the Tennessee Titans, Indianapolis Colts, and Buffalo Bills. Each game will take place on a Saturday in August, leading up to the regular season opener against the Green Bay Packers.

It will be the second time in three years that the Bears face the Titans and Bills in the preseason. Meanwhile, the Bears travel to Indianapolis to take on the Colts for the first time in an exhibition game since 2019 when quarterback Andrew Luck made his shocking retirement announcement. It will also be the first time head coach Matt Eberflus returns to Indianapolis since he was hired by the Bears. He spent 2018-2021 as the team’s defensive coordinator.

Here are the dates and times of each Bears preseason game this year.

6 Bears players most hurt by no preseason games in 2020

With no preseason games to be played this season, there are several Bears that serve to be hurt the most without those valuable reps.

This offseason has been unconventional, to say the least, and it’s had its share of obstacles that have made it difficult for teams like the Chicago Bears to prepare for the 2020 season.

Not only did teams had to conduct their offseason programs entirely virtual, there will be even less chance for players to get reps in as the NFL and NFLPA have agreed to zero preseason games in 2020.

Obviously there are late-round draft picks and undrafted rookies that will miss out on valuable reps and a chance to make an NFL roster. But there are also players with starting jobs or valuable experience on the line.

Let’s take a look at six Bears players that will be hurt the most from no preseason games.

1. QB Mitchell Trubisky

Meg Oliphant/Getty Images

This is a make-or-break year for fourth-year quarterback Mitchell Trubisky, who is coming off his worst season as a pro. Although, to be fair, he was far from the only issue on offense. But he also hasn’t lived up to his No. 2 overall billing, which is why general manager Ryan Pace traded for Nick Foles to challenge and possibly unseat Trubisky in the starting role.

While Trubisky certainly has an edge in the quarterback competition given the entirely virtual offseason, winning the starting job isn’t a free ride for the entire season. Those preseason reps could’ve been invaluable for Trubisky, who is coming off shoulder surgery on his left, non-throwing arm, as well as give him more opportunities to get better at reading defenses. The more reps, the better for Trubisky.

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6 biggest questions heading into Bears training camp

The Bears are gearing up for the starting of training camp, and there are plenty of questions yet to be answered ahead of the 2020 season.

The Chicago Bears are gearing up for the starting of training camp next week, and there are plenty of questions yet to be answered ahead of the 2020 regular season.

Obviously training camp is going to look different amid COVID-19 concerns, which includes the cancellation of preseason. Which means every rep for players competing for a starting job or roster spot — be it quarterback, cornerback, safety, etc. — is going to be important.

Let’s take a look at the six biggest questions heading into training camp.

1. Who will win the starting quarterback job?

USA Today

No doubt the biggest question heading into training camp — and the regular season — is who will be the Bears’ starting quarterback. Following a rough season for third-year starter Mitchell Trubisky, the team traded for an experienced veteran in Nick Foles to challenge Trubisky for the starting job. But Foles isn’t just there to mentor and push Trubisky, he’s there to potentially replace him.

Obviously with the virtual offseason amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the quarterback competition isn’t going to pan out how the Bears had wanted it to. With the absence of organized team activities, minicamp and the cancellation of the preseason, there will be a limited sample size from which Matt Nagy will have to make his decision. That small sample size ultimately benefits Trubisky, who could be a favorite to win the job given his experience operating this offense with these current playmakers. But we’ll see if Foles can ultimately best Trubisky in training camp practices against one of the league’s best defenses.

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NFL players informed there will be no preseason in 2020

There will be no preseason games in 2020, which is a big blow to late-round draft picks and undrafted free agents looking to make a roster.

We are a week away from training camp and the NFL is starting to have meetings with owners and the NFLPA to decide what will happen this season.

The NFL announced yesterday they will have daily testing for the first two weeks of training camp until the positivity rate of COVID-19 drops below 5%, then testing will move to every other day.

Earlier in the offseason the NFL announced there will be two preseason games instead of four due to COVID-19. On Monday, there was a report that the NFL was offering the NFLPA zero preseason games. After a conference call on Tuesday, the NFLPA has confirmed to the players there will be zero preseason games in 2020.

It’s a blow to late-round draft picks, undrafted free agents and others players on the bubble of making the roster as they won’t get the in game reps during the preseason.

It’s also tough for teams, like the Chicago Bears to evaluate competition. The Bears were expected to have a strong look at quarterback, wide receiver, cornerback and safety during the preseason, but now they are going to have to rely on practices and scrimmages against their own players.

Players were also informed that roster sizes are expected to be at 80 for training camp. We could be looking at around 320 cuts league wide. Some undrafted guys won’t even make it to their first camp.

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What no preseason games would mean for Bears’ QB competition

With preseason likely eliminated this year, that gives Chicago only training camp to choose between QBs Mitchell Trubisky and Nick Foles.

With training camp just days away, we still don’t know what the 2020 NFL season will look like. While training camp is set to begin on time, the same can’t be said for the preseason.

The NFL and NFLPA finally agreed to COVID-19 safety protocols Monday, and it sounds like they’re close to finalizing negotiations to eliminate the preseason entirely in 2020.

Chicago Bears head coach Matt Nagy has typically looked past the preseason, in regards to preparing his starters, but he changed his tune this offseason given the quarterback competition between Mitchell Trubisky and Nick Foles.

The plan was to utilize reps in organized team activities, training camp practices and preseason games to determine Chicago’s starter, which would’ve been a good chunk of reps to make a decision. But with an entirely virtual offseason where Trubisky and Foles couldn’t get on the field with teammates at Halas Hall, it put a lot of pressure on those reps ahead of the regular season.

But now with the preseason presumably eliminated this year, that only allows for Trubisky and Foles to prove themselves in training camp practices.

If there’s anyone that benefits from this shortened offseason and no preseason, it’s Trubisky, who’s entering the final year of his rookie contract. Following a disappointing performance in 2019, many have already written him off. But he has one last chance to prove himself in Chicago, and the Bears have certainly put the pressure on him by bringing in Foles to compete for the starting job.

Given the smaller sample size, Trubisky certainly has an advantage over Foles. Trubisky is entering Year 3 of Nagy’s offense, and he’s been playing with most of Chicago’s skill position players for two to three years now.

Trubisky has also organized offseason workouts with teammates in the Chicago area ahead of training camp, which have included receivers Allen Robinson and Anthony Miller, running backs David Montgomery and Tarik Cohen, as well as new tight ends Cole Kmet and Demetrius Harris.

Nagy made it clear earlier this offseason that, when the quarterback competition finally begins, Trubisky will be the first one taking snaps with the first-team offense. He was also believed to be the first one to get preseason reps.

Although Trubisky’s struggles in training camp last year are well-documented and going against the Bears defense is certainly no walk in the park. Even if it is practice. Both Trubisky and Foles will certainly have their work cut out for them when the quarterback battle begins July 28.

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Sounds like there won’t be any Bears preseason football in 2020

It appears the next time we’ll see the Bears play will be in the Week 1 opener against the Lions on Sept. 13.

The NFL and NFLPA have made some important progress in negotiations on Monday. After players took to social media clamoring for a safe return to team facilities, the NFL offered up safety protocols that will call for daily COVID-19 testing at training camp.

Another point of contention between the NFL and NFLPA was the preseason. There’s usually a four-game preseason, which the NFL offered to cut in half to two games. But players have remained adamant about not playing any preseason games.

On Monday, the NFL proposed one preseason game. But according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, the league has changed its tune and has offered the NFLPA zero preseason games.

While Bears coach Matt Nagy hasn’t always been the biggest fan of preseason, this year it was going to be especially important when it comes to determining some pretty important position battles.

There’s no competition more important or talked about than the quarterback battle between Mitchell Trubisky and Nick Foles. With the shortened sample size, you figure Trubisky will have an advantage. Especially now with training camp being the only determining factor in the competition.

Now, it appears the next time we’ll see the Bears play will be in the Week 1 opener against the Detroit Lions on Sept. 13.

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Report: NFL proposes just one preseason game, players still opposed

The NFL’s latest proposal on the table is a one-game preseason, which would take place during the normal third preseason week on Aug. 27.

There’s still a lot of uncertainty surrounding what a 2020 NFL season will look like, which is concerning considering the Chicago Bears and other teams will start reporting to training camp this week.

Players have already voiced their concerns regarding safety protocols amid COVID-19, noting that there’s no clear plan in place that will protect them and their families.

There’s also the preseason schedule that hasn’t been agreed to. Originally slated to be four games, the NFL opted to cut that in half to help with the acclimation period. But the NFLPA retorted with they wanted no preseason games.

Now, according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, the latest proposal on the table is a one-game preseason, which would take place during the normal third preseason week on Aug. 27. That should give players an extra week to prepare, although it’s not the full 21 days they’re seeking.

While Matt Nagy has been known to rest his starters in preseason since he took over as Bears head coach, this shortened preseason couldn’t come at a worse time for Chicago. With a looming quarterback competition and numerous position battles for starting jobs up for grabs, it doesn’t give Nagy a big sample size to make some pretty important depth chart decisions.

If the Bears do play one preseason game, they would host the defending NFC Champion San Francisco 49ers at Soldier Field on Saturday, Aug. 29.

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NFL shortens preseason, Bears will play just two games

The NFL is shortening the preseason to two weeks, essentially cancelling Week 1 and Week 4.

There had been discussions of the NFL potentially shortening the preseason to two games due to the coronavirus pandemic. Now, it sounds like the NFL is putting that plan into action.

According to ESPN’s Kevin Seifert, the NFL is shortening the preseason to two weeks, essentially cancelling Week 1 and Week 4.

Players will report to training camp on July 28, and the first preseason games won’t be played until Aug. 20-24. The second week of the preseason will take place Aug. 27-31.

As for how that impacts the Bears’ preseason schedule, it would effectively cancel their contests against Cleveland Browns in Week 1 and Tennessee Titans in Week 4.

That would mean Chicago’s preseason slate would feature an away game against the Denver Broncos (Week 2) and a home game against the San Francisco 49ers (Week 3).

While Bears head coach Matt Nagy has typically not put much stock into the preseason, that philosophy has changed since last season, where he rested most of his starters throughout the preseason. Nagy intended to utilize the preseason for roster battles and to get his guys back into the speed of the game.

A shortened preseason will certainly impact several roster battles, most notably the quarterback competition between incumbent starter Mitchell Trubisky and veteran Nick Foles. While the battle will start in training camp, the preseason figures to be the most important aspect of the competition as it will feature live-game reps.

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