![]() ![]() ![]() The Bears don’t have anyone headed to the Hall this year, but Devin Hester was a finalist for the second year in a row. Saturday’s enshrinement is the main event, of course. There’s plenty of fanfare throughout the weekend, like a parade and a concert. This year the Jets and Browns will play each other in Canton at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium on Thursday. The league’s celebration of this year’s Hall of Fame inductees begins with a special preseason game. This is where jobs will be won and jobs will be lost. There will be a couple of preseason games sprinkled in towards the end, too. Players grind it out for nearly a month to earn a spot on the 53-man roster and practice intensity ramps up steadily. This is the meat of a team’s summer program. The Bears did not use the franchise tag on anyone this year, so it’s not relevant for them. JULY 17: DEADLINE TO SIGN FRANCHISE TAG PLAYER TO EXTENSIONĪny teams that tagged a player have until mid-July to sign that player to a new deal, otherwise that player will spend the season on a one-year deal. Last year Roquan Smith participated in a “hold in” throughout the summer, where he participated in team meetings and in the classroom but not on the practice field, and the Bears opted not to discipline him. The Bears have been lenient with fining players in the past, however. If a player skips these three days they may be subject to a fine. This is the first time every player is required to be at Halas Hall. In fact, the Bears lost an OTA last season because the league ruled they allowed too much contact early in the summer program. Only 10 days of OTAs are allowed each summer, and live contact is not permitted. They’re also strictly regulated by the NFLPA. Organized team activities, or OTAs, are purely voluntary, so teams can’t fine players for not attending. ![]() Last year the news came on May 12, so the announcement should be coming soon. We also don’t know for sure when that info will come, but Adam Schefter has reported the league is targeting May 11 for a schedule release. We’ve known the list of Bears opponents for several months, but we still don't know exactly when they’ll play each team. This is the first time Bears coaches will get extended time with their new crop of players. There will be a handful of players brought in on a tryout basis, and there’s a chance a couple of second-year players will show up, too. Just one week after the draft, the Bears get all their draft picks, undrafted free agents in Halas Hall for a couple of days of work. Note, NFL calendars are fluid, so some of these dates may change. Here’s an updated look at the Bears calendar now that the draft is over. Teams get an influx of new talent, fans start to tune in more and more, and the rest of the NFL calendar begins to pick up the pace. The new league year technically begins in March, when free agency opens up, but many count the draft as the unofficial beginning to the offseason. ![]()
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