Chicago Bears announce key offseason dates |
Not much is happening at this point in the offseason as the official NFL new year doesn’t begin for about a month or so yet. That still won’t deter teams away from doing certain things as we saw with the Seahawks signing former Bears TE Greg Olson to a one-year contract yesterday. As we wait to see what changes are coming to this franchise this season, the Bears have put in place some important dates for fans to get excited about during the rest of the offseason.
These dates are all important dates regarding the future of the Bears franchise and are highlighted by two mini-camps and 10 OTA Practices. The first date to focus on is just a few days away as the NFL Scouting combine will take place from February 24 through March 1 at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. This is an important day for all 32 franchises as it gives them a chance to see this year’s draft prospects up close to see what they are made. Matt Nagy and Ryan Pace are also expected to speak to the media during this time as they have a press conference scheduled for February 25. Nearly three weeks from the conclusion of the combine comes the next big date on March 18 at that signals the beginning of the NFL new Year. This is when most of the moves and signings will take place, as teams will know what they must work with heading into 2020. Three weeks later is the Ed Block Courage Award presentation, which will take place on April 7. ON April 21, the Bears will hand out the Brian Piccolo award to one rookie and one veteran. This award has been given to a team rookie since 1970 and was added to a veteran in 1992. That same day Pace is expected to meet with the media one last time ahead of the 2020 NFL draft. Speaking of the draft, that happens to be the next big day to keep in mind as that will take place in Las Vegas from April 23-25. All eyes will be on the Bengals and what they do with the No. 1 pick, but expect the Bears to be creative throughout draft weekend potentially. Following the draft, all the Bears rookies will report to Halas Hall from May 8-10. May 16 is when the Bears Care Gala will take place as that event will be held at the United Club at Soldier Field. By this stage in the offseason process, most teams are set in stone as to what they will have on the roster. That is when some of the most important dates are set to begin as the Bears will be in the home stretch for their 2020 season preparations. Look no further than the end of May, in which the Bears will begin their stretch of 10 OTA practices. May 27-29 kicks that off, which will be followed by June 2-4 and then concludes the following week, June 8-11. Following that, the off-season program will end with a mandatory full-squad minicamp on June 16-18. Once those mini-camps and workouts conclude, the team will be given a few weeks off before they once again join forces to begin training camp in late July/early August. It is at this point when most fans will say football is back as the team will then be gearing up for the preseason and regular season. Let’s see all your support this offseason Chicago and hopefully see you supporting your Bears at a few of these dates.
