3 questions surrounding Bears heading into training camp

The Bears have plenty to prove following a disappointing year in what was supposed to be a title-contending season.

Heading into the 2020 season, the Chicago Bears have plenty to prove following a disappointing year in what was supposed to be a title-contending season.

There are plenty of questions surrounding the Bears heading into a currently-scheduled training camp — most of those questions coming on offense. But returning a top-five defense from a season ago, Chicago has the potential to take back the NFC North.

The Bears have bolstered their already-dominant defense with some offseason acquisitions, including pass rusher Robert Quinn, second-round cornerback Jaylon Johnson and strong safety Tashaun Gipson.

Chicago can’t continue to waste this championship-caliber defense — one that could potentially rival their 2018 unit. While there have been some key offensive additions, including quarterback Nick Foles, tight ends Jimmy Graham and Cole Kmet and offensive linemen Germain Ifedi and Jason Spriggs, this offense has a lot to prove in 2020.

The Bears offense was one of the worst in the NFL last season — for a plethora of reasons. All they need to do is be average for this team to make a playoff run. But that’s easier said than done with this team.

Let’s take a look at three questions facing the Bears heading into training camp.

Twitter reacts to Bears leaving Bourbonnais for training camp

The Bears announced that they were moving training camp back to Halas Hall, which left many fans disappointed as it moves from Bourbonnais.

On Tuesday, the Chicago Bears announced that they would be moving their training camp back to Halas Hall for the foreseeable future. Halas Hall is home to a new state-of-the-art facility that will give the team access to everything it needs as it prepares for the 2020 season.

That marks the end of the “Bearbonnais” era for the team, which called Bourbonnais and Olivet Nazarene University their summer home for the last 18 years.

There were mixed reactions about the news, but most of it was disappointment at taking away a valuable fan experience that many people have embraced over the years.

Players practically rejoiced at the news.

Some fans were excited about the move.

Other fans didn’t have the same reaction. A majority were disappointed on missing out on the fan experience.

But Bourbonnais made it be known the Bears are always welcome.

The Bears will kick off training camp at Halas Hall in late July.

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Bears moving training camp from Bourbonnais to Halas Hall

The Bears have announced that they’re leaving Bourbonnais after 18 years of training camp and moving practices to Halas Hall starting 2020.

“Bearbonnais” is officially over for the Chicago Bears, as the team announced their plans to move their training camp practices from Olivet Nazarene University in Bourbonnais to their headquarters at Halas Hall in Lake Forest on Tuesday afternoon.

The move marks the end of an era for both the Bears and their fans, as the team has called ONU home for 18 years, making the move from Platteville, WI after practicing at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville from 1984-2001.

“We will host training camp practices at Halas Hall in 2020, while maintaining a public component to many of the sessions to incorporate our loyal and passionate fans,” said Bears president and CEO Ted Phillips.

The move coincides with the recent renovations at Halas Hall that were completed in August 2019.

While the Bears will continue to hold public practices, the amount of tickets will be “limited” and crowds are not likely to reach the size of those in attendance at ONU, reaching as high as 9,000 over the last five years. Additional details will be released later this spring following the regular season schedule.

With the announcement, the Bears also thanked ONU, the village of Bourbonnais and the surrounding cities for all of their support over the years.

The Bears will hold training camp practices in late July.

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