Bears to be featured for first time on ‘Hard Knocks’ training camp edition

Bears chairman George McCaskey indicated at the Annual League Meeting in March that he hoped another team would volunteer for Hard Knocks, but now his team is where it hasn’t been for a few years — in the spotlight.

In spite of starting 0-4 and losing Justin Fields for five games, the Bears played great football down the stretch of the 2023 season and even briefly flirted with making the playoffs.

The Bears made waves this offseason, signing running back D’Andre Swift, trading for wide receiver Keenan Allen and drafting QB Caleb Williams and receiver Rome Odunze, first and ninth overall, respectively, in the 2024 NFL Draft. Williams replaces Fields, who was traded to the Pittsburgh Steelers before the draft.

The ultra-talented Williams and his gifted receiving corps — DJ Moore, Allen and Odunze — will be a big storyline in Lake Forest, Illinois, this summer. This might be a playoff-caliber Bears roster, but watching Williams grow as a leader during training camp and preseason games will be fascinating theater, arguably facing more immediate pressure than any No. 1 overall pick has since Andrew Luck in 2012.

The Bears have four preseason games this year, including the Pro Football Hall of Fame Game against the Houston Texans to kick off the exhibition slate on Aug. 1. Two days later, three beloved ex-Bears players — Devin Hester, Steve McMichael and Julius Peppers — will be officially enshrined in Canton during the Hall of Fame ceremonies. Chicago also will face the Bills in Buffalo, the Bengals in Chicago and the Chiefs in Kansas City, to round out their preseason schedule.

The Bears’ edition of the show will follow the five-week run of the new installment of Hard Knocks: Offseason with the New York Giants, which was announced earlier this month.