Bears announce 2019 training-camp schedule

The Bears will have eight dates at Olivet Nazarene University in Bourbonnais that will be open to the public.

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The Bears announced their training camp dates Thursday.

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The Bears’ 18th season in Bourbonnais will feature eight training-camp dates open to the public, the team said Thursday.

They will host their first open training-camp practice at Olivet Nazarene University on July 27, a Saturday. The other dates are July 28 and 29 and Aug. 1-2, 5-6 and 10.

All Bourbonnais practices start at 8:15 a.m. Doors are open from 7:30 a.m. to noon each day.

Practice admission is free, but fans first must obtain their tickets at chicagobears.com/camp.

The Bears will report to camp July 25 and hold their first practice the next day — but it is closed to the public. Their last practice of camp, on Aug. 11, also is closed.

The team will host at least two other public events this summer. After taking a year off because of their participation in the Pro Football Hall of Fame Game, the Bears will return to Soldier Field for Family Fest at 7 p.m. on Aug. 3.

Before camp, the Bears will hold a “Return to Decatur” event from July 20-21, celebrating their roots as the Decatur Staleys. The team will announce details of the trip later.

Bears sign Shelley

The Bears signed the last member of their draft class, sixth-round pick Duke Shelley, to the standard four-year rookie contract. The Kansas State cornerback was the last sixth-round pick in the league to agree to a deal, which is expected to be worth around $2.5 million.

The team didn’t round out its full draft class last year until midway through the preseason, as inside linebacker Roquan Smith and his agent worked to negotiate unique language in his contract.

Last week, coach Matt Nagy said he liked what Shelley had shown during rookie minicamp, organized team activities and the mandatory minicamp.

“Duke’s a confident kid — he’s twitchy, he’s always going to be scrappy and be around you,” he said. “And I think he’s learning from a great player in [starting slot cornerback] Buster [Skrine]. They’re very similar. But when those pads come on, that’s when it’s really real. And that’s when you’ve got to stick your nose in and make a few tackles.” 

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