[Updated May 15, 2020, 1:25 p.m.]
The Bears’ preseason games were snoozers last summer, but this year should be different. Not only does coach Matt Nagy have a limited offseason because of the coronavirus pandemic, he also has a quarterback competition to decide.
The NFL released preseason schedules today, and here’s who the Bears drew:
Week 1: Sat., 8/15, 12 p.m. vs. Browns
Week 2: Sat., 8/22, 8:05 p.m. at Broncos
Week 3: Sat., 8/29, 12 p.m. vs. 49ers
Week 4: Thu., 9/3, 7 p.m. at Titans
Their regular season is expected to kick off Sept. 13.
Nagy said last month he “absolutely” will play Mitch Trubisky and Nick Foles in the preseason, which is a sharp turn from last August when he barely played starters. It sounds like the change goes beyond quarterback, too.
“That kind of goes in tune with what we’re doing really with our whole team,” Nagy said. “It’s going to be some of the things we discuss and talk about.”
The Bears and Broncos have had longstanding plans to practice together in Denver leading up to the second preseason game. That deal was made before the coronavirus pandemic, however, so that trip is in question.
“It breaks up the monotony of camp and it allows us to evaluate another roster, too,” Bears general manager Ryan Pace said in February. “But I think the biggest thing is just you’re able to have physical practices, but a little more controlled than a preseason game would be.”