Shaw Local’s 2022 Bears training camp primer

LAKE FOREST – Training camp is here.

The Bears will hit the practice field for training camp this week with players arriving Tuesday and the first practice Wednesday. For the third consecutive year, training camp will be held at the team’s Halas Hall training facility in Lake Forest.

Shaw Local will have all the news, notes and analysis to help Bears fans through camp. Below is everything fans need to know ahead of training camp.

For the latest and most up-to-date news from Lake Forest, follow @bears_insider on Twitter. Fans can also follow Shaw Local Bears beat reporter Sean Hammond directly at @sean_hammond on Twitter and @bears_reporter on Instagram. Shaw Local Senior Bears Analyst Hub Arkush, who has more than four decades of experience on the Bears beat, is available on Twitter at @Hub_Arkush.

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The schedule

The Bears must whittle their 90-man training camp roster down to 53 over the next month. The team will practice four or five days per week from now until then. About a dozen practices are open to the public, beginning with Thursday’s practice.

The Bears will host fans at Soldier Field for their annual family fest on Tuesday, Aug. 9. They will play their first preseason game a few days later on Saturday, Aug. 13, against the Kansas City Chiefs at Soldier Field.

The team must cut its roster to 85 players on Aug. 16, then again to 80 players by Aug. 23. The final cut to 53 players must be made by 3 p.m. on Aug. 30.

What to expect from Matt Eberflus

First-year Bears head coach Matt Eberflus told his players to have their running shoes ready for the first practice Wednesday. The players had their first taste of what Eberflus is like as a coach in the spring, but things will rev into high gear now.

Eberflus is a defensive-minded head coach who will spend a lot of time implementing his 4-3 defensive scheme. He has given the reins to his offense to new offensive coordinator Luke Getsy. Getsy comes to Chicago after spending seven of the past eight years as a coach in various roles with the Green Bay Packers.

All eyes will once again be on quarterback Justin Fields. This season, Fields is the clear starter at the position, unlike a year ago when he was stuck behind Andy Dalton on the depth chart. Fields should see nearly all of the first-team reps at quarterback.

Position breakdown

Senior Bears Analyst Hub Arkush has already taken an in-depth look at every position on the Bears’ roster. Check out his positional previews here:

Quarterbacks | running backs | wide receivers | tight ends | offensive tackle | interior offensive line | interior defensive line | defensive ends | linebackers | cornerbacks | safeties | special teams

Who are the key players to watch?

Beat writer Sean Hammond ranked the top 25 most important Bears heading into the season. The complete list is available here:

No. 25 Equanimeous St. Brown | No. 24 Sam Mustipher | No. 23 Khalil Herbert | No. 22 Al-Quadin Muhammad | No. 21 Cody Whitehair | No. 20 Khari Blasingame | No. 19 Justin Jones | No. 18 Thomas Graham Jr. | No. 17 Trevis Gipson | No. 16 Byron Pringle | No. 15 Nicholas Morrow | No. 14 Velus Jones Jr. | No. 13 Teven Jenkins | No. 12 Jaquan Brisker | No. 11 Kyler Gordon | No. 10 Lucas Patrick | No. 9 Jaylon Johnson | No. 8 Robert Quinn | No. 7 Larry Borom | No. 6 Cole Kmet | No. 5 Darnell Mooney | No. 4 Eddie Jackson | No. 3 David Montgomery | No. 2 Roquan Smith | No. 1 Justin Fields

When does the regular season begin?

The Bears kick off the 2022 season against the San Francisco 49ers at noon on Sept. 11 at Soldier Field in Chicago. One week later they will play a primetime game on Sunday Night Football against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field.

[ See the Bears' complete 2022 regular season schedule here ]