Matt Nagy: No ‘idea either way’ how many Bears vets will attend OTAs

In April, the NFLPA posted a letter attributed to Bears players saying the majority of the locker room was skipping voluntary workouts to stay safe from the coronavirus.

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Bears coach Matt Nagy is entering his fourth season.

Paul Sancya, AP Photos

Nagy’s close-contact quarantine comes at a unique time.

Friday, the NFL said fully vaccinated players will not have to wear masks indoors or outdoors while at team facilities. It still remains to be seen how many players will actually be at Halas Hall when Phase 2 of the offseason program begins Monday, though.

In April, the NFLPA posted a letter attributed to Bears players saying the majority of the locker room was skipping voluntary workouts to stay safe from the coronavirus. The NFLPA posted letters from other teams after unsuccessfully trying to make this year’s offseason entirely virtual.

Nagy said he didn’t “have an idea either way” how many Bears veterans will show up.

Some NFL teams are changing their workouts to entice players to show up. Nagy said the Bears won’t.

“That’s not how we do things, and we don’t believe in that,” he said. “Because we know we’ve got guys that will make their own decisions …”

The entire Bears staff will find a “happy medium ground,” Nagy said.

“Where there’s that safety issue and yet you’re still getting quality reps,” he said. “I don’t know which way it will go, but obviously we’ll kind of find out here in a few days.”

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