A new era of Chicago Bears football will open the doors at Halas Hall to players on Monday, which begins the offseason workout program portion of the schedule.
The NFL announced the opening dates for each of the league’s 32 teams. And because the Bears are among teams with a new head coach, they’ll get a head start over those who are retaining coaches. That makes for a nice perk that comes with the much-needed regime change that came when Ryan Pace and Matt Nagy were shown the door, only to be replaced by a different Ryan and Matt — who have a very different vision for the franchise moving forward than their predecessors.
As for the rest of the teams in the league, you can check out the dates below:
2022 @NFL Offseason Workout Program Dates Announced https://t.co/uebAX5cIh9 pic.twitter.com/VQBgpEfYX5
— NFL345 (@NFL345) April 1, 2022
This, of course, is just the beginning. And I’ll be curious to see who shows up and how many players make their way to the building for workouts. As a reminder, this portion of offseason workouts is VOLUNTARY. This means NFL clubs can’t mandate attendance. Contact drills — you know, stuff like blocking, tackling, etc. — are prohibited. But players can start getting familiar with the new guys in the building and maybe make some solid first impressions upon arrival. That kind of thing never hurt anyone.
All in all, this feels like the first step toward a new normal when it comes to football offseasons. Back-to-back years being tweaked by COVID threw things for a loop. Given that perspective, having the buildings open across the league for players without any hangups is a refreshing step in the right direction.